Regina Ad Luna
by smartcircle
Summary: In the aftermath of the Second Lunar War, and with ripples from the First still having their effect, the Moon is divided over the issue of the Earth, especially Gensokyo. With incredibly destructive civil war on the horizon, Kaguya is forced to return to her homeland to save the people of both the land that rejected her, and the land she has come to love.
1. Beginning: Prelude to a Longer Night

**This is a thing. I got this idea after being really annoyed by Silent Sinner in Blue. You have to read this to understand this story, so make sure of that. I felt the Lunarians lacked a lot of characterization, and ZUN gave up the chance for a really cool story with the Moon to keep Touhou the lighthearted barrel of idiocy it's always been. Not to say that barrel of idiocy is bad, it's just that SSiB felt like a giant tease. **

**Expect alternate character interpretation. I don't know to what degree it is, but don't expect any common stereotypes. Well, except for one sentence that's not really relevant to the story at all. This might even go straight into canon defilement territory at some points, but in my defense, that's why Touhou is great, because one can get away with massively different interpretations as the canon was never solid in the first place. The Lunarians are probably out of character in general, given their whole purity thing, but that's actually explained as the story goes along, and this could not happen if they were perfect.**

**We're not doing honorifics, cause I'm 100% sure on usage, and most of the story does not involve people speaking in Japanese anyways. I'd rather be safe than sorry.**

**I hope its interesting.**

* * *

**Touhou: Regina Ad Luna**

**Volume 1:**

**Unwelcomed Return of the Lunatic Princess**

* * *

The night had been a long one for Yukari Yakumo and her shikigami. The two had went to the moon, been sent back to the earth, and then apprehended by one of the princesses of the moon.

The two had been left, with their arms bound, to sit in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. Yukari knew that she had of course won, as Youmu and Yuyuko had managed to make it to the Lunar Capital due to the fact that the sisters guarding the place were distracted.

However, she knew that Yuyuko Saigyouji would not accomplish anything. The ghost woman was quite competent when she wanted to be, but Yukari knew that when surrounded by new scenery and friendly faces, she would much rather make friends with the lunar rabbits then actually find anything important.

However, Yukari also knew that the actions she had undertaken to place Yuyuko on the moon, and the presence of the ghosts on the moon, would lead to the outcome which she truly desired.

Ran turned her head to look at her master. "Ms. Yukari?" she asked, "You are smiling, why?"

Yukari was not smiling in a way that suggested she was happy. It was more a smile of one who had just triumphed in a grand game that had been the hardest she had ever played.

She started to laugh. The laugh was not a triumphant one, nor was it a maniacal or evil one. It was one of humor, of someone who had just played the ultimate prank on a poor fool.

She shook her head as she tried to calm herself. "It's nothing, Ran," she said. She opened small gaps, and sliced the ropes that held her and her shikigami.

Standing up, she looked at Ran, "I was just laughing at how pointless that whole thing was, yet at the same time, just how incredibly vital it was to my entire plan."

Ran looked back at her master. Somehow, she felt that Yukari was not telling the truth. In fact, she could see it in her eyes. Ran understood the look she was being given, which told her to wait some time, and then Yukari would reveal the true reason for her mirth.

* * *

It was actually five weeks later when Ran learned the reason. Yukari had told the shikigami that they were going to talk a walk in the forest, and Ran had followed the order.

It was night, and the moon was waning as it moved towards the new moon phase. The sky was cloudless, and the air was cold. Yukari had her fan out, and she waved it in front of her face, for no particular reason. She simply wished to do something while walking.

Ran walked beside Yukari, and did not do anything, or speak. Yukari had done this many times. Ran had been brought into the forest, and they had walked for hours on end, before returning after saying nothing to each other.

But on this night, Yukari turned her head to look at Ran. The youkai folded her fan, and brought her arm down to her side. She stopped walking, and turned to look up at the moon.

She smiled, in the same triumphant manner she had five weeks before. "The Lunarians are such idiots," she said, in a voice laced with hatred.

"Ms. Yukari?" Ran asked. She had stopped walking as well, and now stood next to her mistress.

"Remember how I told you how we won the Second Lunar War after all?" Yukari asked.

"Yes, of course," Ran replied.

Yukari chuckled, "Well, Yuyuko getting to the moon was not the reason I started the whole incident," she said.

"What was?" Ran asked.

"I started that 'war'," Yukari said the word 'war' with a sense of sarcasm, as it had not been much of a war at all, "Because I wanted to show the Lunarians that Gensokyo was still a threat,"

"But Ms. Yukari!" Ran shouted, "The Lunarians are far more powerful than us! You know that!"

"I surrendered to Toyohime because I did not want to cause an actual war," Yukari explained, "If I actually wanted to kill her, then I could have sliced all her limbs off with my gaps in less time than it takes to blink." Yukari paused, cocking her head to the side, under her breath she muttered, "That would have been an interesting fight…" She banished the thought with a shake of her head and continued, "But that would have started an actual war, and I do not want to see the inhabitants of Gensokyo suffer such an incident."

"And I am not even the most powerful being in this world," Yukari said, "Utsuho Reiuji could annihilate the entire moon with a nuclear blast, Remilia Scarlet could think of some imaginative fate for the moon, and even I could create a gap large enough to send the entire moon hurtling into the sun,"

Her words. Were they boasts? The words of an angered individual after her defeat? True threats? The words of a woman ready to commit genocide? Or were they to convince herself that this was the right path? That the one she walked down was the most correct?

"However," she said, "I do not want anyone of those people to do any of those things. There are some Lunarians who do not entirely believe that this world must be purged, and they are not threats to us. The rabbits there are simply following the orders of their masters, and destroying all of them would be incredibly cruel."

Yukari continued, "In addition, such destruction of the moon would be noticed by the people of the outside, and they might start to believe in fantasy rather than reality, and that would threaten the safety of Gensokyo as well."

Once more, Yukari's explanations were not directed at Ran, nor even the people of the Moon she meant to annihilate. In fact, Ran noticed that the youkai seemed to be having a discussion with herself. If she had seen Yukari's face, she would have known more, but she could not.

Yukari paused, letting Ran think about what she had said. Ran asked, "Then what do you want to happen? You made the Lunarians afraid of us, and what will that accomplish?"

"When the humans landed their space vehicles on the moon many years ago, the Lunarians panicked, believing that a war had begun. However, the Lunarians saw that the humans were not much of a threat to them, and that they did not even know they existed, so the initial panic died down quickly."

"But I lead a force of youkai to the moon long ago, and contrary to popular belief, they were not immediately defeated. They actually wreaked significant destruction before being driven out or killed, and that scared the Lunarians. However, due to the lack of a follow-up attack, and because they won, the Lunarians decided to not waste their time attacking us."

"But now that we have created a space vehicle and reached the moon, and now that Yuyuko and Youmu stole the sake jar, the Lunarians shall be scared once more. Even by such a simple thing they are brought to the realization that Gensokyo can still touch their soil. They will realize that the ghosts had to have been there since the last full moon, so that means they were there for a full month and went undetected."

"They will believe that Youmu and Yuyuko were spying on them, and that I mean to begin a real war," Yukari said.

"But how will that help us?" Ran asked, "If you don't want to destroy the moon, but you also don't want to start a war?"

"A war will start," Yukari promised, "But it will not involve Gensokyo or the outside."

"The Lunarians will be divided. Some will start to question whether or not we truly must be exterminated, and I know that they already. For dozens of years, flying objects have been seen in the outside, which do not resemble any flying machine they have."

"The Lunarians have been more closely examining the humans, and those that did so at such a close level, will begin to realize that the only thing that separates humans from Lunarians is where they live, and their technology. These Lunarians will certainly defend any plans to wage a war against the earth and Gensokyo, and they will try to push for peace with this planet. My conversations with Eirin have informed me of that, she thinks she keeps things a secret, but she lets it slip sometimes that she's in contact with _somebody _up there."

"Two strong factions will form, and they will fight. A civil war shall be fought on the moon, and it will burn long enough and bright enough to reduce the utopia they have up there to nothing more than a smoldering pile of ashes."

"And once that happens," Yukari grinned evilly, "We can step in, and wipe them all out once and for all,"

"Even though you do not wish to fight a war, you wish to destroy the Lunarians? And you just said you did not want genocide?" Ran asked.

"They hate us," Yukari said, "Even the ones who may sympathize with us now cannot be trusted. I refuse to endanger the people of this planet, because I put my trust in some alien scum who have hated us for their entire lives." Although Yukari sounded zealous, Ran felt that the words were aimed more at Yukari herself than at her shikigami. Like her preaching was meant to convince herself of the Lunarian threat.

"Gensokyo cannot be on this Earth forever," Yukari said, "One day, the humans may find ways to see and cross the barrier en masse."

"However, the moon is far better protected from outsiders than Gensokyo is, and if we raise the Hakurei barrier there, and move the population of Gensokyo to the fantastic moon, then we will be safe for a long, long time to come,"

Yukari looked down at the ground, a solemn look on her face. "I do not wish to wipe a race from this universe, but if it is for the people of Gensokyo, then I would wipe every other race from the entire multiverse," she declared.

Yet once again, they sounded like the words of a liar aimed at another liar. She had switched around, showing multiple opinions, yet not a single one seemed to truly express her feelings. Ran could only turn away from her master, leaving Yukari alone in the forest.

She could no blame Ran. She did not want anyone else associated with all this besides herself. No matter what the outcome…she had to be responsible.

She looked up at the moon.

A single tear slid down her cheek, as she realized the massive burden she would have to bear.

* * *

Eientei was usually silent. It was a massive place, and there were few people to fill all the space. Eirin usually stayed to her laboratory or her room, and Reisen only moved around to check on the security, otherwise staying with Eirin in the lab, or alone in her room.

Tewi, and the other earth rabbits, usually stayed outside, running around in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost.

Kaguya always tended to stay in her room, at least when she was actually both at Eientei and capable of making such decisions for herself. If she was not, then she would be after a couple minutes, as it simply meant that she had not fully died at the end of her latest battle with Mokou.

The princess was usually out of Eientei about seventy-five percent of every day, unless she had actually managed to capture Mokou, in which case she would be in the basement finding new, innovative ways to torture the girl to death. The rest of the time, she stayed in her room, constantly on her guard.

She only slept in the few hours that she could almost say for certain were safe. Eirin and Keine had forced Kaguya and Mokou to sign an agreement, which said that the two would give each other the hours of midnight to four o'clock to sleep, and they could not attack in that time.

Unfortunately, the doctor and the teacher understood that they could not stop two immortals for very long, so they could only hope that Kaguya and Mokou could respect each other to let each other sleep.

However, on this night, Kaguya was still restless. It was about one o'clock in the morning, and the princess knew that everyone else was asleep by now.

But she felt that Mokou would be breaking the pact this night. They had done it before, and had fought several miles away from where either Keine or Eirin would be able to find them.

Mokou had the courtesy each time to knock quietly on Kaguya's door, and then they could figure out exactly where they were going to horribly kill each other.

They were murdering each other in increasingly brutal and creative ways, but they were at least going to be polite about it.

Kaguya was busy watching the door, expecting Mokou to knock. She had last seen the girl two hours before, when they had stopped after a full sixteen hours of fighting.

The princess was quite bored, she realised. She did not have much to do in Eientei, besides kill Mokou. At least at night she did not. Eirin liked to take the various video game consoles which she had bargained with Yukari for away from Kaguya during the night, insisting that the girl needed sleep.

So the only thing Kaguya had to do during the night was sleep, and kill Mokou. She did not want to sleep, so she was waiting for Mokou to show up so she could have fun killing the girl.

However, she knew that if Eirin caught her awake at this hour, she would not like it, so Kaguya knew she would have to hide if the doctor came to check on her.

The princess heard footsteps outside her door, and instantly lay down in her bed. She pulled the covers over herself hastily, and closed her eyes. She tried to feign a natural sleeping position.

She knew that it was not Mokou, as the immortal liked to enter from the outside door, and the footsteps were near the door that connected to the inside of Eientei.

The door slid open softly, and Kaguya could almost feel the eyes of Eirin boring into her. The princess knew that she had to stay silent and still, as Eirin had recently begun threatening to take away Kaguya's gaming consoles for several days if the girl did not get at least a couple hours of rest every night.

"Kaguya, I know that you're awake," Eirin called from the doorway,

Kaguya decided that Eirin was trying to play with her mind. Saying such a thing would normally scare Kaguya into moving, and revealing her true state. But the princess had learned, and she would not give up tonight.

The doctor moved into the room, and lightly tapped Kaguya's side with her foot, "I heard you moving around," she said, "I wasn't asleep, nor was I in my room,"

Kaguya did nothing. It took a lot of concentration, but she swore to herself that she would not give up. "Kaguya," Eirin was speaking in a serious tone now, and it was louder than before, "I don't care if you're awake or not, but there is a serious problem you have to resolve,"

The princess tried to resist the urge to get up and move. Eirin knelt down beside her, and moved her head close to the girl's ear, "Wake up!" she shouted.

Kaguya was so focused on not responding to Eirin that she did not realise what words were being yelled into her ear. So she kept laying there, feigning sleep.

"So I see that you're awake," Eirin chuckled, as she grabbed Kaguya's shoulder and rolled the girl onto her back.

Kaguya gasped, realising that she should have pretended to wake up a few seconds ago, and that she had been found out.

"That's what I thought from the start," Eirin said, standing up.

"What do you want?" Kaguya mumbled, "I was trying to-"

"Sleep? No, you were waiting for Mokou to come by," Eirin corrected her, and then muttered, "I swear you two are more like secret lovers than rivals,"

"That's not true!" Kaguya shouted, jumping up, "I hate her, and I'm going to kill her!"

"You already have," Eirin pointed out, then asked, "So how about you stop thinking about her for just a few seconds, and listen to what I have to say?"

"I was not thinking about her anyways," Kaguya declared, crossing her arms.

"Fine, but just listen to my problem, as it is your problem, and the rest of Gensokyo's problem,"

Kaguya said nothing, waiting for Eirin to speak. The doctor started to walk out of the room, "Come on," she said, "We should talk elsewhere, for I have something to show you,"

Kaguya followed Eirin throughout the dark halls of Eientei, eventually coming to a small room which had not been used in a long time. It was not very large, only being maybe eight by eight feet.

There was a small table, and Eirin knelt down next to it, and Kaguya stood in the doorway. "This serious?" she thought aloud, and then went to sit next to the table.

Eirin spoke quietly, "Yes, it is this serious,"

The table was not barren. On top of it lay a small device. It was shaped like a rectangle, and was about six inches long, and three inches wide. One side was covered with various dials and screens.

Eirin hit a button on the front, and the device came to life. The screens glowed with a warm yet faint greenish blue light, and the speakers near the top of the front side started to hum softly.

Eirin looked at Kaguya. "This message was received yesterday morning. I waited to tell you because I wanted to think on whether or not it would be a good idea to get you involved in this situation," she explained.

She paused, and looked a bit ashamed of herself, "I then realized that I should stop treating you like a helpless child, and let you make your own choice."

She pressed another button, and the device started to speak. "Greetings, Lady Houraisan, and Miss Yagokoro. I am not sure if you remember me, but my name is Princess Yui Kagome, and I represent a division of the Lunarian Senate which wishes to put an end to the hostile feelings against the people of both the Earth and Gensokyo."

"You have lived in both places for a long time, and seeing as how you refused the option to return to the Moon, I assume that you have come to like the people of the Earth more than those of the Moon. Because of this, and because of the sway that you will hold as a Princess and as Kaguya Houraisan, I ask you to temporarily return to the Moon to speak on our behalf. In the end, you will also be speaking on the behalf of the entirety of the Earth and Gensokyo, and your words may avert the destruction of both."

There was a slight pause in the message, and then Yui began to speak again. "That is not all, I am afraid. The Senate is currently divided on the issue of the Earth and what to do about it and the humans that inhabit it. There is a large amount of tension, and many powerful figures are picking sides. There is a high chance that a civil war may break out, and that would be absolutely disastrous given the amount of power we possess in this day."

"I beg you, please come to the Moon, and try to at least stop the civil war, and the deaths of millions of your people. Please, Princess Houraisan, you cannot possibly understand the gravity of the situation from where you are, but you must know that if you do not come here, then we will certainly lose the political battle, and then lose the physical war."

"That would result in the extermination of the entirety of the Earth and Gensokyo, and I personally do not wish such a thing to be done, and that feeling is shared by many here."

"I hate to say this, Princess Houraisan, but you are our only hope."

The message ended there, and the room was silent for several minutes as Kaguya thought about what she had heard. Eirin watched the face of the princess, but she betrayed no emotions as she thought.

Eirin did not wish for Kaguya to go to the moon. She knew that the inhabitants of Gensokyo were all very powerful, and may be able to defeat the Moon, if they had the time to plan a preemptive strike. With the support of herself, they may be able to do enough damage to end the threat of the Lunarians, and that would allow Eirin to step in and place Kaguya in charge of them all.

But she knew in her heart, that Kaguya would not want that outcome, and had already thought of it. Kaguya would choose to go the moon, whether Eirin liked it or not.

Eventually, Kaguya spoke. She said the words that Eirin had expected to hear, ever since she had first heard the message, the doctor had known what Kaguya would say.

"I will go to the Moon," the immortal said, "And I will do my best to stop this civil war." The tone of her voice told Eirin that she questioned her decision, but would go anyways, for she did not have to worry about death.

"Are you certain?' Eirin asked,

"I'm immortal," Kaguya said, "I don't need to worry,"

"There are worse things than death," Eirin warned, as if Kaguya had not already thought about that fact.

"I know that Eirin," Kaguya said, "And I also know that there is no one on the moon willing to do such a thing to me, so I'll be safe,"

"I shall contact Princess Kagome, then," Eirin declared, and then suggested, "You should get some sleep,"

"You'll not be coming along?" Kaguya asked,

Eirin shook her head. "I do not want to go back there," she said, "They won't like my presence…" her voice trailed off, as if she had something more to say.

"I understand," Kaguya said. She did understand, and knew exactly what Eirin did not mention. She stood up, and turned towards the door, "I'll go get some sleep," she said, "It's a good idea,"

The former princess of the Lunarians returned to her room in a sort of stunned silence. She knew that she had to rest. She knew that she would need this rest in the days to come.

However, something about what she learned prevented her from getting that rest.

Something about how she had heard the voice of someone she had known long ago pleading so desperately for aid.

It made Kaguya, the immortal, scared.

Not necessarily for her own safety, but for that of the people who she thought she still respected.

She did not sleep for the rest of the dark hours of the morning, only falling asleep once the sun began to rise over the horizon.

But in the confines of Eientei, deep in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, the princess was not disturbed by this light.

* * *

**I can't guarantee a steady update schedule. I'm working on another major story at the moment, and it does take a bit of priority over this one. That doesn't mean this will never be updated, but I'm just not sure at what rate updates will come. It will never go over two weeks in between an update, hopefully, and the chapters will not be this short. I had more ready, but I felt that just having the intro scenes worked better than dragging on with all the other scenes currently written. **

**Working on two things of the size they are shaping up to be at the same time is going to, and already did, bite me in the ass. But I am confident that I'll keep both on track. Expect a lot of exposition about the Lunarians and stuff for a while before the real plot starts, but it really can't happen in another way, and I'll see what can be done to make things more concise. The exposition is not Tolkien-level either, more just necessary information.**

**I won't even beg for reviews. Don't even be kind if you do review. This is going to be a long ride. I'd prefer it be a fun ride, not Mr. Bone's Wild Ride. **


	2. Dialogue of Old Rivals

**More characterization. Anything that seems out of place, which to me feels like Reisen and what she's doing in this chapter(at least when I try to think from the perspective of someone who does not know the rest of the story), will be explained later. Trust me. **

* * *

However, there was a person who was intent on disturbing the princess. Reisen Inaba (Udongein if one called her by the nickname given to her, although it was not wise for one who was not Eirin) knew this.

The person in particular was one Fujiwara no Mokou, and the immortal had just tripped the sensors set up in a circle a kilometer out from Eientei itself.

Reisen looked up from where she was standing. In her right hand was the device with which she had been monitoring the perimeter, and in her left was a fake rifle, one of many she had made in order to train the Earth rabbits in fighting, in case such skills were ever needed.

Reisen knew that she was being mildly paranoid by doing this, but the rabbits enjoyed having something to do, and Reisen kept telling herself that it would come in handy someday.

The Lunar Rabbit was pleased that Tewi Inaba was being mildly useful for once, and had actually done much to organize the rabbits and order them about, as they did not usually listen to Reisen's instructions.

However, Reisen knew that no matter how much it looked like Tewi had shaped up and become a nice little rabbit, she would immediately go back to endlessly harassing Reisen in various ways once this particular training session was complete.

_She only really cares if the issue concerns Eirin or Kaguya, _Reisen thought a she placed the fake rifle on the table in front of her, and picked up a far more dangerous weapon.

She slipped the device that monitored the sensor data back in her coat pocket, and then called to Tewi, who was helping a rabbit out with holding her weapon, "I'm going to take care of a problem, stay here,"

"Is this problem what I think it is?" Tewi asked with a smile,

"Yes, it is," Reisen answered.

"Can I come?" Tewi put on her cutest face, doing her best to persuade Reisen with her body language.

"No," Reisen replied, before moving her new weapon to her other hand, and turning towards the path leading out of the grounds of Eientei. The rabbits were training right outside the mansion, and the area around it was mostly clear of bamboo trees and other plants.

The Lunar Rabbit forbid Tewi from joining her because she knew that if she did, then something would happen to her as soon as the two got out of sight of the others. Reisen knew that the young (Actually old, much, much older than Reisen) rabbit had all manner of traps spread throughout the bamboo forest, and that she would try her best to lead Reisen into those traps.

Reisen walked off into the forest, shouldering her rifle as she went. For her, this task was something of a chore.

She had been told by Eirin to not allow Mokou anywhere near Kaguya, for the princes needed her rest. Reisen was more than happy to do this, if only for the fact that it would mean that she could have some amount of quiet later in the day, as it was usually disrupted by the fighting of Kaguya and Mokou.

Reisen felt somewhat obligated to keep guard on the princess, for even though she was immortal, there were things that could be worse than death, and both Kaguya and Mokou had inflicted them upon each other many times in the past.

So the Lunar Rabbit usually had some way of keeping track of the two, to make sure such things did not occur. And that was not the only way in which the immortals disturbed her, for they had been getting into incessant yelling matches lately.

Reisen had not told Eirin about this, but on several occasions in the last week alone, Mokou had snuck into Kaguya's room at some time, and they had done nothing but yell at each other.

Reisen did not try to eavesdrop, but from what she had heard, it sounded like the two were in love. _But that's impossible, _she thought, _you can't love someone after killing them for a thousand years._

It did not really matter to Reisen. Unless Mokou was trying to get into Kaguya's heart and then break it, the rabbit could care less.

If she did intend to break Kaguya's heart…then Mokou would find out that what Kaguya did to her was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of pain and suffering.

Being trained in a rather secretive and possibly illegal section of the Lunar Self-Defense Force had its perks.

Reisen walked through the forest towards where the sensor had picked up Mokou. She had not been moving quickly, so Reisen assumed that she would not speed up, given the nature of the girl.

She was in something of a bad mood at the moment. Reisen could tell that something was up, Eirin actually telling Kaguya. The doctor usually left the princess to her own devices, and this told Reisen that something was wrong. Seriously wrong. The rabbit could feel it, and she could tell that it had to do with the Moon. Or maybe she didn't _know, _but she could feel it.

The rabbit pulled out the device, which was a flat touchscreen, about an inch thick, four wide and six long. She checked a map of the area, and figured where Mokou would be. A minute's travel would talk her there.

She placed the device back in her coat, and held her rifle with both hands.

Reisen paused for a second, and held up the rifle, admiring it like it was her child. She shook her head, as if she should not do such silly things, and then ran off to her destination.

Fujiwara no Mokou was not looking for any kind of trouble. Well, she was looking for trouble with Kaguya, but that could not really be called trouble when it was fun for both of them, and there was no danger of any damage to either of them.

It could be said that she was looking for fun with Kaguya, but instead, she found trouble with a rabbit she had come to dislike in the short time she had been present.

The immortal had been silently walking through the forest with a cigarette in her mouth and her hands in the pockets of her pants. She was not paying much attention to her surroundings, as she knew the way to Eientei by heart.

So she was very surprised to hear a voice yell at her. "Stop right there, or I will shoot."

Mokou recognized the voice as coming from the source of many of her troubles in recent months.

"What do you want, little bunny?" she asked, very annoyed at this interruption. Ever since the arrival of the Lunar Rabbit, Mokou and Kaguya had begun to have less and less fun together.

Straight up murder, poison, assassination, slow deaths, torture, the two had done it all to each other, and plenty more. Emphasis on _had. _Reisen was…an interesting case.

With the arrival of the annoying rabbit from the Moon, that kind of fun had been replaced by the same old, go out every day, fight until one is dead, and do that a few times until both are bored.

Both immortals were tired of this. They had done that kind of stuff for years and years at first before they started to make it fun, but Reisen's staunch devotion to the safety of the princess, a princess who somehow had no control over the supposedly completely loyal Reisen, was very great.

_Just because she's loyal doesn't mean she has to listen, I guess, _Mokou thought, although she knew that sounded somewhat contradictory. _I suppose she's only completely loyal in the area of things that do not deal with me and Kaguya interacting. _The only issue was that area was a large part of both the Lunarian's and the human's lives.

Mokou had pieced together that Reisen was a deserter from some kind of Lunar army, and was being given asylum in Eientei. Mokou questioned just how terrible these Lunarians back on the moon were, if they made a dedicated girl like Reisen so dedicated to not getting caught by them.

Mokou thought that Kaguya was very nice, at least when she was not dealing with Mokou. But for Mokou and Kaguya, nice was killing each other, and they were very rude to one another when all they did was sit and talk.

Mokou shook her head, clearing her mind of the various annoying acts committed by this bunny in the past, and focused on the one that was being committed right now.

She could not see Reisen, but she could hear her close by, and looked around at the bushes, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Turn around, and go back now, or else I'll shoot you," Reisen repeated, then asked with a tangible air of arrogance, "What part of that do you not understand?"

"Shoot me?" Mokou laughed, and asked, "With a bow? Or maybe with one of those guns that I kind of remember? You think I can't stop a bullet?"

"I'm not going to shoot you with a bullet," Reisen replied,

"Danmaku, then?" Mokou asked with another laugh, "Try me, I'll beat you like I have in the past?"

"Not danmaku," Reisen replied.

"Then what are you going to shoot me with?"

"You would not understand if I described it to you," Reisen said, coldly and calmly.

"Try me," Mokou said.

"Have you ever heard of a Series 4 Mark 5 Type B Laser Assault Rifle?" Reisen asked, "Also known as a Mark 45B Lasrifle?"

Mokou was confused. She had figured out the general area in which Reisen was in, which was a small bush which was to the front and right of her. She stared at the spot with a look that was one of pure inability to understand anything she had been told.

"A what?" she asked, astounded by this seemingly random jumble of nonsensical words.

"I told you," Reisen said, "And since you're not heeding my warnings, I'll just kill you now, drag your corpse a few kilometers away, and throw it into a lake,"

"Well," Mokou said, pulling her hands out of her pockets and adopting a fighting stance, "If you want to put it like that, then come at me, I'll show you who's strongest,"

Reisen jumped upwards. As she moved through the air, she flipped forwards, but always kept her aim focused on Mokou.

The immortal threw out an explosion of flame from her body. The wave would have caught Reisen, were it not for the fact that right as she was about to be hit, she shifted herself backwards and upwards.

Her legs had been closer to Mokou, and her movement in the air made it so that her torso was now facing towards her target. Her rifle was already raised and aimed.

Mokou saw her, and prepared to fire a blast of flame at her. Before she could, there was a chorus of sounds, each one sounding like the crack of a whip.

Mokou did not have time to react to these noises. In fact, she did not hear them.

The speed of sound is very fast.

The speed of light is much, much faster.

Mokou was pierced by several dozen beams of light before she could do anything more, and her lifeless body fell to the ground.

Her head was not entirely on her neck, and her torso was now a collection of smoking holes.

Reisen let herself drop to the ground a few meters away, and then walked back over to Mokou. She did her best to quench the fires in the bushes. She knew that had Mokou had the time, the immortal would have put out the fires with her own power.

She may have been a pyromancer, but she understood her power, and how it could burn down the entire forest. Reisen considered that one of the few positive qualities about the hate-filled immortal.

She grabbed the girl's hair, and started to drag her off. She knew of a lake a few kilometers away, and intended to make full on her threat to dump the immortal's body in that lake.

It would only delay her, but hopefully it would do so until Kaguya could be picked up by the Princess Kagome or one of her servants.

Reisen shook her head as she dragged the corpse of the immortal off.

She did hope that the girl stayed dead till she was in a few dozen feet of water.

* * *

Eirin was waiting for someone. This someone was not someone who she wanted to wait for. It was not someone who she spoke to often, and this someone did not want to speak to Eirin often. Eirin shared that feeling.

However, Eirin knew that she would need to speak to this person who she disliked at some point before night fell. Once that happened, Kaguya would be brought to the moon.

And that could not happen unless a certain boundary was opened briefly so that the ship that would carry Kaguya could both enter and exit Gensokyo.

The nurse sat on the steps to one of the many entrances to Eientei. Eirin did not think that she exactly which one was the main entrance, such was the size of the mansion.

She looked around, waiting for a distinctive kind of hole to form in the air in front of her.

She had been waiting for hours now, and had not had any sleep since the day before. She had been awake all night, and now expected to only get some sleep late this night, and even then, she doubted she would truly sleep.

Her rest would simply be filled with thoughts of worry, all related to Kaguya.

A black rend in reality appeared in front of Eirin, only a few feet away. It was as tall as a full-grown woman, and the rent widened to allow Yukari Yakumo out.

The youkai of boundaries paused a she exited her gap, and closed it behind her. She held a parasol in her right hand, and was dressed in her usual attire. The parasol was pointed towards the sun already, even though the youkai had just left her gap.

It was not even needed, as the trees around Eientei provided plenty of shade. However, Yukari still held her umbrella there, and stared at Eirin.

The nurse stood up, "You respond to my request?" she asked. Eirin knew that Tewi knew the shikigami of Yukari's shikigami. She asked the rabbit to find the cat, and through that, she would find Ran Yakumo.

Tewi was ordered to ask Ran if she could arrange a meeting between Eirin and Yukari. Eirin knew that Yukari slept most of the day, and had worried about her chances, but it seemed that even the lazy youkai had deemed this issue worthy enough to wake up for.

"Yes," Yukari said, "Shall we go inside?"

Eirin was not surprised by the informality of the youkai. Yukari Yakumo seemed to believe that she was superior to anyone else. Except of course that one miko, for it looked like Yukari would move heaven and earth if it meant pleasing that girl.

She did not even know how much Yukari paid attention to her. However, it would have been nice if the shrine maiden in question understood the conduct of Yukari Yakumo, for the youkai tended to think that she was stronger, wiser, and smarter than anyone else in the universe.

Eirin knew that Yukari was not. _She's over one thousand, _Eirin thought, _but that's not very impressive, because Tewi can say the same thing._

The nurse knew that she herself was over one million years old, and may be one of the oldest living things in the universe, and certainly took that title in terms of things living on the Earth or Moon.

Eirin did not like how Yukari asked if they should move inside, as if she somehow had control over the conversation. And unfortunately, Eirin knew that she really did, no matter how much the nurse tried to deny it.

Yukari could choose to deny Eirin's request and therefore cause a massive civil war on the moon. Eirin knew that this had been Yukari's plan from the very beginning, to start a war on the moon in order to stop it from harming Gensokyo or the outside.

So this made Eirin think that her request would be denied, and there would be nothing she could do about it. Fighting Yukari, even in a real battle, would be pointless without the right materials.

Eirin was certain that she could easily manufacture a toxin capable of killing Yukari in a matter of seconds, but she would have to get it to the youkai first, and that would not be possible if Yukari denied a request such as this one.

_As arrogant as she may be, _Eirin thought, _Yukari is still very intelligent, and she knows I know that. _Eirin nodded, "Of course," and turned around.

She walked inside the mansion, and opened the door for Yukari, closing it as the youkai stepped through the entryway. They sat around a small table, while Eirin offered a drink to Yukari.

"No thank you," the youkai said, "I'm fine,"

Eirin nodded, and turned around to get herself something to drink. She smirked as she turned away, knowing that Yukari would have taken a drink in the presence of someone who was not capable of making a drug that would weaken Yukari's resistance and willpower.

The nurse poured herself some tea, and brought the drink back. She found that Yukari had used her gaps to procure some tea for herself, and while Eirin was not surprised, she still felt a little insulted.

This of course, was how she was meant to feel, and Eirin knew this. The nurse sat down once more, and took a sip of her drink.

"I understand that you do not entirely know my request?" she asked.

Yukari nodded, taking a sip of her tea, "Yes," she replied.

"Then I shall explain," Eirin said, taking a breath. When she released it, she prepared to lecture Yukari on the situation.

"One month and three weeks ago," Eirin began, and paused for a moment before continuing, "Four inhabitants of Gensokyo, two of them being some of the most powerful, landed on the moon. Then, you and your shikigami went to the moon. After that, you inserted Yuyuko Saigyouji and her gardener onto the moon."

Eirin did not stop, continuing her explanation, as she moved onto events that Yukari did not know of. "For a long time, ever since the year humans first landed on the Moon, the Lunarians have feared human invasion. They already had these fears, ever since the invasion you launched over one thousand year ago, however, our retaliation completely crushed the youkai of this planet, meaning that our fears were mostly alleviated."

"We understood that the youkai would never get to the point we were at, in terms of technology or magic. We knew this because Lunarians and youkai are not too dissimilar. Both species live very long lives, and they do not need to worry about progressing in a few decades, for they will have hundreds of years to make their mark on the universe."

"However, humans are different entirely. They live very short lifespans compared to Lunarians, and this drives them to advance and learn as much, and as fast, as they can. They are very devoted to advancing every aspect of their race. Their society, their culture, their personal lives, their technology, their understanding of how the universe works."

Eirin paused to take a sip of her tea before continuing with her speech. "We, on the other hand, are perfectly content to live out our long lives in relative boredom. We do not need things to entertain us, nor do we need to advance our technology. We can spend an entire year doing nothing, and try to advance in the next year, because we have thousands of years to actually make a mark on the universe."

"Our observation of humans was very light until the time after the First Lunar War. After that war, we became very worried that humans were in league with the youkai, and both groups conspired to defeat us. However, our watching proved otherwise, and we saw that the humans were still very primitive, at least compared to our society at the time."

"We stopped watching them, at least with any kind of interest, the activity remained as a hobby for some Lunarians, till the middle of what was for them the middle of the 19th century of their current calendar. At that point, we became interested in their development. We had taken one thousand years to make the transition from a feudal system to one not based on bloodlines and heritage, and even despite some changes, the feudal system remains today, thousands and thousands of years later. That system still remains today. But what we found was a world in which the power of the royalty was steadily decreasing. Only a few decades ago, a single empire had dominated much of the world, and it was now slowly dying out."

"At this point, we started to watch them very closely, realizing that they may begin to advance very rapidly, due to their short lifespan. This was true, as we observed the beginning of their twentieth century, and the death of the monarchy as the main source of power in almost the entire world. Only a few places kept this system."

"We watched as their technology advanced much faster than we ever imagined. They were producing armored fighting vehicles only a dozen years or so after the first cars, something that took us fifty years, but not because of our limited knowledge. If any of us wanted to, we could have understood every secret of the universe a thousand years ago, if not more. But we just don't care, because we have almost all the time a being could wish for."

"The thing that scared the Lunarians the most was when the humans went, in only sixty-three years, from barely making it into the air on flimsy wooden planes, to sending spacecraft to the moon."

"We became very, very scared." Eirin explained, taking another sip of tea. "They became scared, I should say. The only reason I know of all of this is because of what I was sent by the person who contacted me two days ago. She explained almost the entire history of the moon ever since I was banished here with Kaguya."

"After the landing on the moon, the Lunarians began to become incredibly fearful of their purity. They thought that if any human came to the moon, then they would pollute it. They did not worry about the damage, instead caring about the purity of the place."

"The Lunarian civilization seems to have grown complacent in one thousand years," Eirin said, coming close to the end, "Back in the day, they were fearful of a war, for it had only been two thousand years since the last war between Lunarians. They took measures to ensure that society was running smoothly, and that no serious issues would occur. The war with the Earth changed things, making them even more fearful…but it also made them arrogant. We had seen the Earth as impure before, and the fact that they started a war did not help. Now, they are arrogant and foolish. They do not care about the threat of damage, they care about the threat of impurity."

"At this point, a large portion of the Lunar Senate intends to wage a war of extermination against Earth and Gensokyo," Eirin said, "And they may indeed win their case in the senate. However, they are opposed by a group who thinks that the Lunarians should seek to find peace with this planet, and find a way to coexist in harmony. They think that to destroy the Earth with no provocation would be even more impure than anything a human could do."

Eirin took a deep breath. She drained the rest of her tea, and Yukari looked at her with a look of interest. She certainly was interested in this situation, Eirin could tell that much, but she could not tell if the youkai would decide to assist the Lunarians.

"Alright," Yukari said, and then asked, "You told me that, but why?" or some reason, she seemed like she was taking part in a game. A game of answering questions that should have been rhetorical for people like Eirin and Yukari.

"Because Kaguya was asked to go back to the Moon and speak on the behalf of the pacifists," Eirin explained, "And she agreed."

"You need me to open the border so she can get to the moon," Yukari guessed, "But that boundary can only be opened on the night of a full moon,"

"She is not to be teleported there," Eirin said, "The Lunarians have small space vehicles capable of easily making the journey to the Earth and back in a matter of hours."

Yukari's eyes widened a little. She was trying to conceal her complete surprise at this fact, however, she was not realizing that she was in the presence of one who was far older than her.

Her attempt did not work, to put it shortly.

Yet, there was also a hint of playfulness between the two, as if they both knew what the other was speaking of before it was said. Yukari's surprise was a little _too _abrupt and complete for one of her age and wisdom.

"It's true," Eirin said, smiling victoriously, "They've had them for thousands of years, the last time they were used to come here was in the aftermath of your little invasion a thousand years ago,"

"That's not true," Yukari said, "You've been watching the outside world for the past half a century,"

"I have done nothing," Eirin said, "Don't group me with those who cast me out." Her tone of voice went to one of anger, and Yukari's mood shifted.

"Are you scared?" Eirin asked,

Yukari said nothing, attempting to show that she was brushing off Eirin's petty insult. The youkai took a sip of her tea, and stared into the eyes of the Lunarian she faced.

"You are," Eirin smiled, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you,"

"That implies that I think you can defeat me," Yukari said, getting a little annoyed. Her annoyance seemed pointless. Their banter _was _pointless. The game was being played, however. "To prevent this conversation from taking a turn for the worse, I do ask you what your true purpose is, do you want to ask me to do something, or do you wish to taunt me?"

Eirin's smile disappeared, replaced by a more serious expression. She did have something to ask. "As you guessed," she said, "I must request that you open the border to allow Kaguya to be taken to the moon,"

"Why should I do so?" Yukari replied, internally smiling as she knew that she now held all the power. Yet Eirin did not look perturbed, as if she already knew the outcome of this conversation.

"Because a civil war that could result in the deaths of thousands, if not millions, is about to break out, if Kaguya does not try to change things." Eirin explained, but then frowned. "That, however, is no reason for you to act,"

The doctor paused. She had her teacup in her hand, and it had been there for some time. She did not know when or why she had picked it up, but it was there. She looked at it, casting a solemn glance at the bottom of the empty cup.

"I don't know what to do anymore," she admitted, "I'm not sure if anything can be done to save my people, and I feel that I might not care." Eirin looked back up at Yukari. "But I know that Kaguya still cares, and that she will strive to try and accomplish something."

"So I then throw myself upon your mercy." Eirin said with a sorrowful tone, "And beg you to open the border, even though you have no reason to do so,"

Yukari was perturbed. _I thought that this doctor was stronger than this. Does everything revolve around Kaguya for her? _The youkai was planning on letting her own plan carry itself out, which would guarantee the safety of Gensokyo for a very long time to come.

But now, she was feeling some regret. _Eirin Yagokoro…you do not care about the Lunarians very much, _Yukari thought, _so what do you care about? Would you be willing to forgive…no, she won't. No one can forgive me for what I've set in motion. _

Yukari realized that if she made the choice to open the border, then the moon may not be as badly damaged as she hoped. However, she made a plan to make a deal with Eirin, one that might be beneficial to both sides.

"I'll do it," Yukari said, "Tell me when this ship shall arrive, the border will be open at that time. Just allow me to be there as well, to represent myself."

Eirin looked up in shock. She had honestly not at all expected this to happen. _Is something wrong with the youkai? _She wondered, _there has to be some kind of problem. Yukari would not do something like this for someone like me, not on a normal basis, and not when she owes me nothing. _

_I'll question her tonight, after Kaguya is gone. _Eirin nodded slowly, "Thank you," she said, "Thank you very much,"

Yukari said nothing in return, instead standing up. She started to walk towards the door, and asked on her way, "When should I open the border?"

"Around midnight tonight, if that is acceptable, of course," Eirin explained.

"The border shall be open," Yukari promised, walking into a gap, and disappearing.

Eirin Yagokoro stared at the space where Yukari Yakumo had once been.

The doctor wished that her thanks would not mean anything to the youkai who cared only for her world. Yet Eirin could not help but feel great sympathy for the Earth. And little sympathy for the Moon.

* * *

Kaguya Houraisan had done as she said she would. For once, she knew that sleep really would help her. The princess had slept through much of the day, burying her head in the blankets to block out what little light made it into her room.

Her sleep had been restless. Constantly, she had turned back and forth, trapped in nightmares which she did not entirely understand.

Kaguya woke with a start, and tried to ascertain the time of day. She knew Eirin would have woken her if it was night, so she guessed it was the evening, and that the moon had not yet risen.

She stood up, rubbing her eyes. She stifled a yawn, as such an action would only bring back her laziness and intention to sit in bed.

_I wonder what happened to Mokou, _she thought, _I assume Reisen handled her in the least friendly way possible._

The princess knew she would have to apologize to her fellow immortal when she returned from the moon. _Reisen's done some bad things to that girl before, _Kaguya thought, _and she's only gotten worse._

Kaguya had begun to wonder why Reisen was so devoted to her. _Is it just thanks for the asylum she has been granted? No, she's far too fanatical. It's a kind of obsession. What is her story? _

Kaguya did not know the specific reason as to why Reisen had fled the moon. From what she knew, Reisen had been involved in some actions which she was not proud of, and wished to leave such things behind her. The rabbit had fled the moon, deserting the Lunar Military, _Self-Defense Force, _Kaguya corrected herself, thinking about how old habits die hard, to try and find a way to live on the Earth.

_What did she do? What made her run away from her civilization, abandoning everything she knew to take a risk that may result in her death? _

Kaguya went to the door of her room, banishing those thoughts from her mind. She knew that if Reisen wanted to share, then she would have done so already. The princess did not think too much about Reisen's past, deciding to let the rabbit keep her secrets for a time.

However, she know questioned that decision. _If she did things she's not happy about, and they were so bad that she felt she had to run to the Earth to escape them, then they could be used against those who wish to invade the Earth._

_The power I would have with such evidence of their corrupt nature would be too powerful for their less-fanatical supporters to deny. We could avert the entire war! _Kaguya felt some excitement, and planned to somehow make Reisen give up everything she knew.

_No, _she thought, as she walked out into the hallway, and started to make her way towards Eirin's room. If it was the evening, then the doctor was likely to be either there or in her laboratory.

_I can't push Reisen like that, _Kaguya thought, _and besides, she's technically a deserter, so her words can easily be discounted by the opposition. _

Kaguya did not like the idea of having to go back to the moon, and involve herself in the politics she honestly loved to be away from, but she did not want a war to break out.

With the technology and magic the Lunarians possessed, such a war would be apocalyptic, and may result in the destruction of almost the entire race.

_And, _Kaguya thought, _since Yukari was the one who started this, I bet that she would love a war of that scale._

And while Kaguya understood Yukari's want for safety, and personally did not associate herself with her race as much as she did with the humans of the earth, she still knew that there were some good people on the moon.

The princess was around halfway to Eirin's room when she saw a rabbit wandering the halls. It was not wandering, however. She was sweeping the floor, and looked up when Kaguya approached.

The floor was very clean, and did not need any additional sweeping. However, it was common to see the rabbits doing such things, simply because they had not much else to do.

They were to live for a long time, and could afford to waste time unnecessarily sweeping the floor in such a mindless manner. _They'll live for a long time, _Kaguya thought, _but at least they'll die at some point._

The princess envied their mortality.

She stopped in front of the rabbit, and the creature smiled, asking, "Do you need something princess?"

"Do you know where Eirin is?" Kaguya asked.

"She's…she's somewhere," the rabbit said, awkwardly chuckling as she realized that she had no idea where Eirin was, but did manage to say, "Ms. Yagokoro said she was to meet with Ms. Yakumo, so I imagine she is somewhere in Eientei where she would feel comfortable meeting with Ms. Yakumo."

Kaguya smiled brightly, and patted the short rabbit on her head, "Thank you," she said, before walking off down the hall past the rabbit. She changed where she was headed, knowing that Eirin would never meet a person like Yukari anywhere except in the place where she was the most certain that Yukari would see nothing of interest.

_There are several such places, _Kaguya thought, _mostly within the mansion, but Eirin would never let the youkai inside Eientei. Therefore, she must have met her in one of the rooms on the exterior. _

Kaguya knew where she was going, but doubted she would find Eirin. The doctor was a very efficient person, and would not spend hours sitting in one place. _She and Yukari are certainly finished with their little masquerade, _Kaguya thought, _those two love acting like they aren't old friends…_

* * *

**I feel like Eirin's little explanation is horrifically slow, but I wanted to establish the basis of how the Lunarians in general are thinking in this story, so that later chapters, and the entire premise, make sense. It also implies a deeper relationship between Yukari and Eirin, which is needed for later as well. **

**I'll just stop giving almost spoilers now. **


	3. Woes of Former Princesses

**This came earlier than I expected, which hopefully makes up for the short length. Still in the exposition area at the moment, but things do pick up next chapter. **

* * *

Eirin knew that the conversation with Yukari would be interesting, so she was prepared to sit and think over all that had occurred. So she did indeed spend an hour sitting in the same spot.

_She knew most of the major things before I said them, so she's been keeping track of developments. I don't know where she got her information from, but I imagine that it was Yuyuko. That ghost acts playful, but she's wiser than most people I know. _

Eirin heard footsteps, and knew that Kaguya was approaching. She had memorized the sound of the princess's movements throughout the floors of Eientei long ago. The recently-awakened girl walked into the room, and saw Eirin still kneeling in front of the table.

"Still here?" she asked, seeing the two empty tea cups and pots and assuming that this was where the doctor and Yukari had talked.

Eirin nodded slightly, "Yes," she said, "Just thinking a little,"

"That intense?" Kaguya asked.

"As expected, she agreed to the request," Eirin said, "The rest was just us playing the usual game…but she seemed to know more than usual. I suppose that Yuyuko got much farther into the Moon than it seemed before."

"Like what?" Kaguya asked.

"She seems to know the general atmosphere up there at the moment, which is interesting. I had no idea Yuyuko would have been able to pick that up. I wouldn't doubt it if she knows some basic Lunarian," Eirin commented, before shaking her head. "I know exactly what she's doing, so I guess I'm just wasting time at the moment, waiting for you."

"Why wait for me?" Kaguya asked, "If Yui's to come down tonight, what's there to discuss?"

Eirin was silent for a few seconds. She seemed afraid to speak her mind, and that made Kaguya a little worried about what exactly was on her mind. "Are you certain that you want to go to the Moon?" Eirin asked, looking Kaguya in the eyes.

"…Of course," Kaguya said. The delay was suspicious. She knew that, and turned to leave. She knew that she could have if she had not hesitated in turning around.

As it was, she was stopped by Eirin saying quietly, "Then why are you so sad?"

Kaguya paused. She had known Eirin for thousands of years. _So of course it makes sense that she knows what I'm feeling. _Kaguya did have a negative aura about herself, and she realized that it was obvious to someone as wise as Eirin. "I wonder if I am doing the right thing…"

"Define right thing," Eirin said.

"Depends on the perspective," Kaguya said, "If you're talking about the people of the Moon, then going is of course correct. If you're talking about the Earth, then going is correct. If you are talking about the friends I have here, or my own well-being, then no, I should not go."

The princess shrugged, her back still to Eirin. She stood motionless. "So I guess the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." She looked back over her shoulder, a smile on her face. "I don't see how there's any other options."

"You don't have to go," Eirin said, concern showing on her face as she insisted, "You will regret the decision."

"I'll regret it if I don't go," Kaguya shrugged, "It's just a question of what I regret I less. I want to save them, but I don't want to associate myself with them again."

"They cast you out. You owe them nothing."

"Yet I do, because they could have done worse than just exile me. They also tried to bring me back," Kaguya said, yet her efforts seemed more dedicated towards convincing herself than Eirin.

"That does not mean that you won't be torn apart the moment you get up there. Kaguya, you need to think rationally here. You can certainly go up there and try to change something, but I can almost guarantee that it will not work out."

"So what do I do?!" Kaguya shouted, turning around fully, storming towards Eirin, shouting wildly, "Do I stay here and let my people burn themselves?! Let them destroy the Earth when they're done?! Go up there, lose myself in a battle I have little chance of winning?! No matter what I do, I suffer, and people are going to die,"

"Stay here," Eirin said, "Yukari and I can handle the defense of Gensokyo and the Earth once the Lunarians are weakened by their own efforts. It will not be difficult to handle the survivors if we can catch them by surprise."

"You're asking me for genocide!" Kaguya cried, slamming her hands down on the table in front of Eirin, "I won't commit to that!"

"Then go," Eirin said, "But no matter what I say, you will want the opposite. The point is that Yui's shuttle is coming, and she expects you ready to leave tonight. Go if you want to. Stay if you want to."

"It's not about me," Kaguya had calmed herself, and said this with a solemn shake of her head. Black locks rustled softly as she moved her head back and forth, and her eyes glimmered in the light from the outside. "It's about everyone else."

"Then why question it?" Eirin asked, but both people knew the question was rhetorical. The doctor saw the truth in Kaguya's eyes. "Because you don't care about everyone else?"

A solemn nod was all she needed. Kaguya let her knees fall out from under her as she collapsed into sobs. "They banished me…" she moaned, "It was the law, but I never would have drank the elixir if it weren't for what had happened."

Eirin laid a comforting hand on Kaguya's head, soft fingers running through the princess's well-combed hair. "They doomed me to live for all eternity. I'll live till the end of the damn universe…"

The princess, despair clear on her face, looked up at Eirin, "And who says that will even be the end for me?"

Eirin didn't know. She wished that she could comfort Kaguya, tell her that she would find an end to her life. Yet the doctor couldn't say. The power of the full hourai elixir was such that the subject could never truly die. Even if they cease to exist entirely. So if everything ceased to exist then…Eirin quieted her mind, she did not want to consider that possibility, no matter how much credence it had.

"You'll die at some point," she promised, deciding in that instant to ensure that Kaguya would die.

"Even then," the princess said, head falling softly back down, "This was a curse placed upon me by that Moon up there. If I had any common sense, I would take revenge."

A few seconds of silence passed, before Kaguya whispered, "But I won't. I'm not one who has any kind of common sense. I'm far too compassionate. I'm not smart, I'm just some lunatic princess, bound to rush towards situations I'll regret."

"I don't think you're that kind of person," Eirin said, "You're smart, wise. You can do this if you really want to. But if you go up there scared, thinking you can't win, then you won't win."

"So I should go, then?" The words hurt Eirin.

She knew that if she said what she was about to say, it would go against what Kaguya truly believed in. Perhaps it was selfish of her to say the words. She said them anyways, "No, you shouldn't go. You should stay here, where's it safe. We can deal with the Moon if the worst comes, and the chances of that are unlikely."

Silently, the princess stood. A solemn look was on her face. She regretted what she was about to say as well. "I will go," she said, "I cannot stand by idly. This has to happen."

"Then it is your choice," Eirin said, "I hope that you make it with a heart ready to face the trials ahead."

"I'm ready,"

"Then get some rest, you need to be truly ready tonight,"

A slight shake of a head denied Eirin. "We should discuss the plan for when I get there."

"What you should do?"

"Yes. It is imperative that I do things correctly."

"Well, we don't really know much about the Moon's current state besides what Yui has already told us. You're going to have to rely on your own cunning to help you out once you get up there. We will most likely not be able to remain in constant contact, at least at first. It would not look very good to the others."

Eirin stood as well, sighing as she thought. "Do we trust Yui?" Kaguya asked her, "She has good intentions, she's always been a better person than most, but she's bad at actually making anything of those intentions."

"You may have to wrest power from her after a little while, but that will be incredibly difficult to do smoothly. I wouldn't try it until you have a substantial power base of your own. I presume you'll be with her party for the time being, so you'll need to make allies fast."

"I can do that," the princess said, "It will be easy to pick up allies within the purists themselves as soon as I start promising big results and making things happen. Outside of them will be harder, but as long as I have a strong backing force for the beginning, things won't be too bad."

She thought back to the days before the invasion, long before that. There had really been no parties warring against each other. The issues brought up in the senate were trivial compared to today. There were not very many problems faced by the Moon. It was no perfect society, but it was better than the present.

Kaguya had gained her political skills from before the Age of Purity, as well as in the early days. That had been during the time before, leading up to, and during the Last War. She fondly remembered how quickly she'd had to learn how to navigate the landscape of pre-Purity politics. In fact, the Moon was resorting back to that state, but instead of separate factions, the political strife was in one large empire.

"Will you be fine here?" Kaguya asked.

"Yukari and I will talk this out, we've more to discuss. Hopefully I can speak to her again tonight, try to figure out how we can move forwards. She's like a child to me, so it won't be too hard to make her see reason." The doctor answered, before pausing. She thought for a moment, then continued, "Yukari will tell Yuyuko if she hasn't already, but the ghost won't let anyone else know."

"I can keep the secret from Byakuren and Miko just fine, they're too busy with their little competition to care. The gods of the Moriya Shrine are well-involved in affairs around Gensokyo, but they've no eyes in this forest. The tengu might end up being an issue, Empress Suitokin has been itching to flex her military muscles ever since Youkai Mountain built itself into a major power. But, if we ever need military support with the Moon, we can certainly count on the tengu."

"I imagine that Yuuka only cares about direct threats to Gensokyo, which is good. I feel like she'll somehow figure out what's going on, but she's no sadist. The celestials are quite disinterested in our affairs, and Iku's the only person who will talk. We make sure Tenshi stay's occupied, then no one will be the wiser. I get the feeling that Remilia's more far-reaching than Yukari likes to make people think. Of course, Yukari understands that the vampire's no fool, she's just tricking Remilia into thinking that she thinks she is. Yet I doubt that Remilia doesn't understand that. Nevertheless, the vampire can't know, or else she might get too feisty, I can tell she's bored around here."

Eirin paused, thinking for a bit more. Kaguya asked, "Shinki? The others?"

"Yukari and I will figure out what to tell Shinki. _Those_ humans will probably observe the arrival of the shuttle, so we'll go say hello to them as well."

"I think that about covers everyone," Kaguya said, "Anything else we need to discuss?"

The doctor shook her head, "We've got them all covered. Like I said, go get some rest, you will seriously need it."

"I've already slept enough," Kaguya said, but she still left, presumably headed towards her room.

Eirin watched her go, feeling that the girl deserved more than what she was going to be reduced to up there. _She might bring about serious social change…or she might just get torn to pieces._

* * *

The cold surface of the moon was devoid of all life. It was silent and unchanging. No wind, no weather, nothing besides space rocks had made its mark on the lifeless ground of the moon.

Besides space rocks and humans, that is. And Lunarians, of course.

Watatsuki no Toyohime sat on a small outcropping of rock, a little ways away from, and in viewing distance of, the place where a human had first set foot on the moon.

She had to admit that the Earth was beautiful from where she sat. It was a distant orb of green and blue. It was a precious gem amongst an entire galaxy of useless rocks.

She also had to admit that she would miss looking at it when it was burnt to a blackened hulk of a planet. It would become just like the other countless rocks floating through space.

The human presence on the real moon would then be able to be removed, and there would be nothing for Toyohime to come and look at, besides the distant other planets, and the sun.

But she saw the sun every day of her life, so there was not much point to coming all the way out to the real moon to watch it.

She also knew that she would lose any excuse as to why she was constantly sneaking out into the real moon, even though it was her job to guard the moon from the impure beings of the earth.

She did not really enjoy such a job very much, as not much occurred. Not anymore, at least, when the Watatsuki sisters had been practically stripped of all the power, in favor of the Lunarian Defense Force handling protection of the moon.

Toyohime had to wonder what kind of power they thought they had. _There isn't even a war going on, _she thought to herself, _not with Earth, and not with Gensokyo._

The princess had honestly been worried last time Yukari Yakumo moved against the moon, but her fears were not needed. _All those ghosts ended up taking was some sake, but apparently that is worthy glassing a planet over, _Toyohime thought.

She did not personally enjoy the beings of Earth, seeing as how they were impure. But she did not want to destroy them, for she knew that such an act would make the Lunarians just as impure as the humans they wished to annihilate.

Someone was behind her. Only one person knew that she came out here.

There was no sound in the cold void of space, but Toyohime sensed the presence of her sister.

She did not move, continuing to stay where she was. "Sister," she said, "How are you?"

"Why do you always come out here?" Watatsuki no Yorihime asked.

"Why do you always ask?" Toyohime replied with a chuckle, "I've told you I like looking at the Earth every single time I've come out here."

"Call it a habit," Yorihime said, standing next to her sister.

Toyohime tipped her head back and laughed long and hard, "That's hilarious," she said, after a minute of laughter. "A habit, how human of you,"

"How is asking my sister why she cares about an impure place a bad, human habit?" Yorihime wondered,

"Why did you call it a habit if it is not?" Toyohime replied, grinning. She looked up at her sister, "I never said having a habit is wrong,"

"I would not necessarily consider it impure," Yorihime replied, wondering why her sister was suddenly stretching the boundaries of pure and impure things in the favor of the side she did not like.

"Then what would you consider it, dear sister?" Toyohime asked.

"I feel as if you're trying to turn my own words against me," Yorihime said calmly, "I did not come out here to argue with you,"

"Did you not?" Toyohime asked, "Then why are you here?"

"I…I wanted to talk to you," Yorihime said, pausing as if she was embarrassed to admit that fact. Or afraid.

"How interesting," the blonde girl crossed her legs and rested her head on her hand. "I was starting to think that I did not have a sister." She still did not turn her head, not yet giving her sister that respect.

"Why do you dislike me?" Yorihime asked, "A couple months ago, you were completely fine,"

"A couple months ago was long before the humans and youkai came to desecrate the moon," Toyohime pointed out, "And you were a very different person before that point,"

"I realized that I was not taking my job seriously enough," Yorihime said, "Is that such a major issue? Do you want the safety of our home to be certain? You too are responsible for that, so I ask you to stop slacking off as if nothing matters."

"We're Lunarians, we'll live for thousands of years, and we are incredibly difficult to kill. I doubt we have anything to worry about," Toyohime explained, "And in addition, we are several times stronger than we were the last time we were attacked, the youkai would not even get to walk out of their portals before they'd be obliterated."

"And we would have to kill them," Yorihime said, "I do not wish to kill anyone, or anything. That would degrade us to the same level as the things who sought to kill us. I would prefer that all invasions are either resolved harmlessly, or do not happen at all."

"That's why you pushed the integration of the spellcard system?" Toyohime asked with a giggle, "I figured you stole it right from the earthlings,"

"Do you have a problem with my institution of a non-lethal way to resolve battles?" Yorihime asked harshly, looking down at her sister, "Or would you prefer the destruction of the earth?"

"It is pretty, is it not?"

Yorihime looked forwards again, and stared at the blue-green orb which floated through space, hundreds of thousands of kilometers in front of her.

"It is," she agreed, "It is very pretty,"

A silence fell upon the two girls. For a few minutes, they just stared at the Earth, marveling in the beauty of a place whose inhabitants they hated with a passion.

There was an unspoken tension in the nothingness between the two. A careful observer might notice the bunching of Toyohime's muscles, as if she was ready to move quickly, or react to something.

The same thing occurred with Yorihime.

There was no one else outside the fantastic moon.

The two sisters could have only targeted this suspicion at each other.

"Why do you side with those who wish to burn the Earth, if you love it so much?" Toyohime wondered with a sigh,

"I do not side with them," Yorihime complained, "You misunderstand my motives,"

"Explain them to me, then," her sister commanded, taking out her fan, and eyeing the sides of it as she held it in front of her face.

Yorihime understood the movement was a subtle insult. It was a movement which was part of a code she and Toyohime had developed, to use when in conversation with another Lunarian.

This particular gesture was used by Toyohime to indicate she was bored, and wanted to brush whoever was talking to them away, as if they were hot air.

Yorihime gritted her teeth, but did not react in any way Toyohime could see, even though she knew that Toyohime would know that Yorihime would notice and respond in some way.

"First of all," Yorihime began, still standing in one space, "You too, are sided with the Purists, and second of all, I do not support the more radical parties,"

"Then who do you support?" Toyohime wondered, ignoring the harsh tone which was taken with her, and clearly aimed to emphasize the fact she was in the same camp as her sister.

"You know who I support," Yorihime said angrily, "There is no reason for me to explain that. You support the same group."

"The Rationalists, yes," Toyohime said with a dismissive voice, as if she was done with the current topic.

She referred to the group she was part of with the name they had given themselves. The organization was part of the larger side which called itself the Purists, after its want to completely separate Earth and Moon, but did not share the same views.

Currently, the overall Purist organization wanted to destroy the Earth, thus ending the threat of impure beings forever. However, many were opposed to this idea, and it caused a total schism in the overall Lunarian Senate. What had once been large group of what were now called Old Purists was now the Purists and the Negotiators.

The Negotiators did not like their name, first of all, as they said it undersold their motives. They wanted complete and total re-connection with Gensokyo, a complete restoration of relations to the state they were before the First Impure Invasion, or as it was called in Gensokyo, the First Lunar War. Or at least a few vocal minority did. The main party had some views similar to that one, but did not dare to try and push those, knowing that most of the Lunarian people would not accept it.

The Purists, however did not like this concept, and wanted all those they found to be impure to die. Again, not all of them did, which was why the overall Purist group had split into many smaller units due to this, and the largest of those subgroups was the Rationalists.

This group wanted everyone to be rational, hence the name. Their message was clear and simple. They thought that the Earth and the Moon should remain separated, but that the Impure should be allowed to live, as long as they do not transgress against the pure.

It was a goal that was more achievable than other goals, at least at first.

But now, the Purists had enough on their side to turn the entire Earth to glass in a matter of hours.

"So why do you criticize me, then?" Yorihime wondered to Toyohime, "When we share the same beliefs,"

"I'm sorry," Toyohime said, "But it is hard to imagine you having a peaceful mindset, Major General."

Major General Watatsuki no Yorihime winced at the use of her new title. "Don't call me that, Major General," her voice became thick with hatred as she said the title of her sister, but the hatred did not sound directed at her, rather, it was directed at the person who had given the two girls those titles.

Toyohime chuckled lightly, as if she found what was meant to be an insult to a third party funny. She really did. Her laughter grew, till she was practically falling over in her fit of laughter.

Yorihime stared at her the entire time. She was angry, her face conveyed that much. "What is so funny, I did not think I was that much of a comedian?"

"You aren't, at least not intentionally," Toyohime said, finally standing up for the first time in the conversation. "It is just the way you act, it reminds so much of some people I know,"

She could not have not been talking about humans. Yorihime knew this, and once more, she did not noticeably react. Toyohime stepped close to her sister, and reached her fan out to lift up the lip of Yorihime's mouth.

The girl's teeth were gritted together. Softly, she breathed through her nose, hoping to calm herself.

"I see," Toyohime said, stepping away, "So you are really angry."

Yorihime opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted. The effectiveness of Toyohime's interruption was such that she could not have not planned it, "Ah, but who are you mad at? Me, or…?"

"I liked it more when I was one of the Sages of the Moon, and not a pawn in the game the High Command is playing." Yorihime admitted.

"You're angry because they stripped your power from you," Toyohime commented, "Why, that's strange for a Lunarian, being angry..."

"I believe, no! I know that I can protect the Moon better than they can," Yorihime said. As she spoke, a bright light shot above the head of the two sisters.

Yorihime saw it as it passed in front of her, but Toyohime had been facing towards Yorihime and caught it first. Yorihime lifted the collar of her clothing, muttering a few words into it. She was sending a communication asking what the craft was doing, as it was clearly a shuttle of some kind.

"What do you suppose that is?" Yorihime wondered,

"I don't know," Toyohime was surprised, her composure being broken by the sight of this new craft, "Nothing was scheduled, and if it was Black Ops, then we would not even see it in the first place."

"No," Yorihime countered, "You're rusty, they fly out of lunar orbit, and then a bit more, before turning off engines. We would see such a shuttle at this point."

"But Black Ops does not work with one ship, we should be seeing about three shuttles and three interceptor-gunships, and maybe even a frigate just in case," Toyohime said, before pausing as she saw her sister receive a reply.

Yorihime sighed, "Princess Kagome is sending a shuttle to bring the Princess Houraisan, who has agreed to return to the moon to speak in the Senate," she explained.

"Kagome?!" Toyohime shouted, knowing the woman to be the leader of the Negotiators, "She got this through?!"

"It went straight to the Emperor," Yorihime confirmed, "I was not even informed of her request." The woman's voice was thick with hatred and jealousy.

"You're jealous?" Toyohime asked, her voice calmer after only a couple seconds.

Yorihime shook her head, "No, I'm not jealous, I simply know that I can do better than anyone else can in terms of defending this place,"

"Can you really?" Toyohime asked, moving to stand to the right of her sister, "Can you really do a better job, or are you jealous because you have little power now?"

Toyohime smiled sadly, "Do we consider ourselves pure because we are truly free of all negative emotions?" she wondered, both to her sister and no one.

"Or is it because we live on the moon, and the humans and youkai do not?"

* * *

**If you haven't noticed, there's quite a lot of difference from the canon world here. Eirin and Yukari do have a history, and the Watatsukis aren't exactly the holier-than-thou mary sues as seen in SSIB. There's also a pretty big history of the Moon I developed, which will be unveiled as the story goes along. There was indeed a time before the Lunarians got to their state of holier-than-thou purity, which Kaguya was alive for much of. This addition to the history explains why she is the way she is when she really gets to the Moon. **

**And yes, the Watatsukis were standing around, talking, in the airless real Moon. The Lunarians _are _aliens, after all. It's really not that big of a deal storywise, and will be explained in future chapters. The Tengu of Youkai Mountain will play a role, so they have an empress. She'll be introduced later, but the name might be familiar to some. **


	4. A Long Journey's Beginning

The night at this time of the year was not very cold. The time of the year was moving to the summer, and the spring was coming to an end. The night was young, but the air was still moist from the rains which still came, and the lingering heat from the day allowed the temperature to be quite cool.

Kaguya Houraisan slowly walked out of her home, down a small path to a small clearing in the forest. The earth rabbits were all asleep, except for Tewi, but she was trying to distract Reisen.

The lunar rabbit preferred to be with her princess, but she should not show herself to the Lunarians, lest they be angry at Kaguya even more, for sheltering one who was a deserter.

Kaguya gazed at the many sights in the Bamboo Forest. She saw the small animals scurrying along the ground, and in the sky. She could hear some battles going on in the distance, no doubt the youkai fighting over petty things.

The princess smiled. She had come to love this completely impure planet. So much could change in one second to another. Someone would die, someone would be born, and a dozen people's lives would change.

_I'll miss this place, _she thought, _everything about it…it's all so wonderful._

Truth be told, Kaguya Houraisan did not like change or chaos. She preferred steady constants. They were things she had power over.

Yet the beauty of the ever-changing world around her enraptured her completely. Humans had to worry about doing things too dangerous, venturing places where they should not, taking big risks.

But Kaguya was immortal, so she could do whatever she wanted. She did not have to control anything, for no one could ever truly control her. Not forever, at least.

She looked through the trees ahead of her, and saw her destination. She walked out into the small clearing, and simply stared up at the sky. Five objects, the ones sacred to her, floated around her person. They would be the only things she would bring along. There was nothing else that she had which was truly special to her.

It was clear this night, and the stars were visible. But Kaguya was annoyed by something which seemed like a stain on the beautiful black canvas of the galaxy.

The moon, bright at its half-fullness, annoyed Kaguya. It was too bright, acting like it was better and more important the many millions of stars in the sky.

Kaguya did not know if she would feel this way even if she had not been banished from the moon. She really could not tell what she would feel about anything if that had not occurred.

A gap in space opened next to her, and Yukari Yakumo stepped out. She was dressed in her usual purple gown and multicolored tabard. She carried her parasol, even though there was no use for the thing at this time.

Kaguya paid her no mind at first. Yukari said nothing to Kaguya, simply staring at the girl until she replied. Eventually, without moving her head, Kaguya asked, "Why did you do what you did?"

Yukari expected to hear this, but still looked away in shame. Kaguya did not even look at her, but her mere presence had a profound effect on Yukari.

"I'm sorry," the youkai said, "I did it for the good of Gensokyo,"

"How much good you did shall be decided once this is all over, hopefully, the moon shall not be covered with the ashes of the Lunarian civilization when it is, although I know you desire that outcome," Kaguya said in a flat voice, its pitch carefully calculated to get to Yukari as much as possible.

The youkai knew she was outmatched. Kaguya was a few thousand years older than her, and there was no way to counter pure experience from a girl who had no choice but to be a political animal.

"You are very smart, Ms. Yakumo," Kaguya said, in a more sincere voice, "However, you tend to think only for the safety of those closest to you. You don't care about those who you hurt, as long as you save the people you love."

Yukari was humiliated. She took a step back from Kaguya, still looking down at the ground. Her entire body was shuddering. She was not happy about the idea of fighting an immortal, if it came to it. Especially an immortal whose closest ally was a much, much older genius.

"Please," she said quickly, almost begging, "I only want the best for Gensokyo."

She stared down at her feet, her parasol hanging in her hand, while her pose was one of a scared person. A person who was scared for her life.

A hand was under Yukari's chin. It was Kaguya's. It lifted the girl's head up so that she could look right into the eyes of Kaguya Houraisan.

"And honestly," Kaguya said, "I need to learn how to care about those people, so let us learn a lesson from the other."

Yukari nodded, too scared to speak. "I will learn how to care for those closest to me, while you can learn to care about everyone," Kaguya smiled as she spoke, "You are by no means a terrible person, Ms. Yakumo, at least not yet."

"The outcome of my journey shall decide your fate, so lay the groundwork for a plan that will save Gensokyo no matter what happens on the moon," Kaguya said, before taking her hand away and stepping back.

Yukari heard why a second later. There were another pair of footsteps walking down the path. Eirin Yagokoro came into the clearing, and looked at both women before glancing up at the sky.

"When will the ship arrive?" she asked Yukari.

"About five minutes, I think," Yukari said, "The border will open in about two or three,"

"Good," Eirin said, "Right on time,"

She looked at Kaguya. "You are not bringing anything with you?" she asked, "Save for those?" She gestured to the legendary objects the princess possessed.

"I only possess items of this world," Kaguya explained, "You know what that would do to my already low credibility,"

_Destroy it entirely, _Yukari thought, knowing Eirin thought the same thing.

The three woman stood in the clearing for another few minutes, till a light shone high in the sky. It came closer and closer, and after a couple minutes, it was right above Eientei.

The long, needle-shaped craft decelerated as it approached, tilting the nose up so the rotating thrusters on the side could slow it down even more and control the descent.

The craft flew into the clearing smoothly and landed softly. Yukari watched the entire process with wide eyes. "Surprised?" Eirin asked, "If things come to war, then you might get to see the same thing be done with even bigger ships.

Yukari stared at the woman, sighing internally. "Of course, you have things much, much bigger than this, correct?

"Of course," Eirin replied, not too excited at the current topic, but willing to discuss. "If what Princess Kagome told me is correct, then the Purist faction is putting together a trio of two kilometer long battleships to spearhead the offensive against Earth,"

Yukari shook her head, trying to get herself to believe what she was hearing. She turned her eyes back to the small shuttle in the middle of the clearing, examining its design.

It was around ten meters long, five wide, and three tall. Large, powerful engines sat at the back, and there was a single doorway in the side. Three meters to each side of the door was a small thruster, which could be rotated to point in any direction. These smaller thrusters did not even seem to be conventional, "Antigravity motors," Eirin said, "They repel gravity and lift the craft upwards,"

Yukari nodded, comparing them in her mind to the magic used by some humans and all youkai. _Magic is more advanced on the moon, so it is understandable that they worked it into technology, _she thought. She'd encountered such advancements on previous visits to the Moon, but had never truly taken the time to admire just how smart the Lunarians were. At

The overall shape of the craft was rectangular, but it was pointed to hold the smaller cockpit in the front. It did not seem very aerodynamic, but it certainly flew better than anything else Yukari knew of. She supposed that it was more intended for quick space travel, due to the large rear engines, and the fact that the antigravity engines could easily deal when in an atmosphere.

The door on the side popped forwards, and then slid to the side. A figure was standing in the doorway, and a small set of stairs descended down to allow her to exit the craft.

The girl was clearly not of this world, simply because of the way she carried herself as she walked off the craft.

She looked around the clearing, observing each of the people there. She did not look, however. It was impossible for her to do so. Her eyes were obscured by bandages which were tied all the way around her head. No other wounds could be seen at any other place on her body, so it was hard to tell why the bandages were where they were. Despite the bandages, it was obvious that she could easily see where she was going.

The girl focused on Kaguya. She bowed slightly, just enough so that at the lowest point, she could still keep her eyes on Kaguya. It was not a sign of suspicion, Yukari realized, it was more respect.

_I figure most people would be bowing down to Kaguya, given who she is, even though she is an exile who chose to stay on Earth. However, she's not really a princess anymore…I suppose this Kagome wants to ensure a warm welcome. _

"Princess," the bandaged woman said in a quiet, flat voice, her pale white hair rustling slightly as she came out of the bow. The length of her bangs was not uniform, but the longer strands ended just above her eyes. The others ranged from midway down her forehead to barely coming down her forehead.

She wore a black bowl-shaped hat on her head, and Yukari compared it to a helmet. _On closer inspection, _she thought, _it really does look like a bowl. _

The youkai did not question the Lunarian's dress too much, and continued to observe the new arrival. The woman wore a light pink scarf around her neck, and a black vest with red trimming on her torso, over a light green shirt. Her legs were covered by a red skirt, and her sleeves contrasted the darkness of her body, as they were white with green trim at the ends. A pair of blue boots covered her feet, but they were mostly covered by the length of the skirt.

The woman turned to look at Eirin, "Ms. Yagokoro," before reaching out to shake the woman's hand.

She turned to look at Yukari, and paused. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice completely neutral.

"I am Yukari Yakumo," the youkai said, and reached her hand out.

The Lunarian shook her hand with a level of force which was not soft, but not hard. It was just enough so that those who did not like rough handshakes would not be offended, and those who did not like soft handshakes would be appeased.

_The mark of a political animal, _Yukari thought, _or the servant of a political animal. _

The woman seemed perturbed by Yukari's reply. She stared into Yukari's eyes, and even though the bandages prevented her from doing so, Yukari knew that somehow, the woman was seeing her even better than she could if she had her eyes.

"You are the instigator of the First Invasion?" the woman asked, then quickly corrected herself, "Apologies, for you, it would the First Lunar War?"

Yukari looked at the ground, embarrassed, "Yes," she replied, "I came here to wish Kaguya good luck,"

"Even though you caused the second incident? Which I do believe was calculated to result in this outcome?" the woman asked. Her voice was becoming more and more filled with anger. And not just any anger, as Yukari had heard many people be angry.

This was the anger of someone who had lost someone close to them because of the person in front of them. Yukari looked back at the woman, gaining the strength to match her glare, "Who did you lose?" she asked frantically, nearly breaking into tears as she cried, "Who did I kill?!"

The woman was shocked, seemingly by Yukari's concern. It was as if she did not expect such concern from the person who began the entire conflict. "No one, no friends or family of mine were lost," the woman answered, "I'm sorry for…causing you so much distress,"

Kaguya was surprised by the Lunarian's demeanor. It was not the aura of a person who was angry. In fact, the silver-haired seemed more surprised. Kaguya could imagine that it would be a bit shocking to see a face that had been demonized for one thousand years only to discover that it was shockingly normal.

The mood was now awkward, with the Lunarian and Yukari both unsure of what to say. "Miss," Eirin intervened just in time, "I believe that we should be moving on now."

The Lunarian woman nodded at Eirin, and then turned back to Yukari. "I apologize," and then to Kaguya, "I apologize, princess, I allowed my concentration to lapse, please, let us be on our way." She quickly continued after saying that.

"I am Eleonore Vaskliand, bodyguard to Princess Kagome. I have been sent to escort you to the Moon," the woman known as Eleonore explained, looking at Kaguya, "We should get moving, we are behind schedule due to my failure,"

Kaguya smiled, "I do not hold anything against you," she looked at Eirin, "Goodbye," she said to the doctor, "I hope you stay safe,"

Eirin smiled sadly, "I believe that you are the one who needs to stay safe," she said,

Kaguya nodded almost imperceptibly, and then walked towards the shuttle. "Let us go," she said, "We must return as fast as possible,"

Before stepping into the shuttle, however, the princess turned to Yukari. She looked into the youkai's eyes, and said, "Ms. Yakumo, your judgment shall come,"

Eirin frowned and raised her eyebrows. Yukari shot her a look that told her they would speak later. Eirin nodded and looked back at Kaguya, who was taking one last look back as she stepped inside the shuttle.

"Please, Kaguya," Eirin begged, "Be safe, if only for yourself,"

Kaguya could only nod, and step entirely into the shuttle. Eleonore looked at Eirin and bowed, before nodding to Yukari, and stepping inside the shuttle.

The door closed. The craft was already powered. The engines activated fully, and the antigrav engines lifted the ship into the air. When it reached above the tree line, the magic particle fusion engines activated, and the craft shot off into the night sky.

A gap was opened and closed in the barrier, and Eirin and Yukari could only watch as the lunatic princess went back to the land which had cast her out in the first place.

* * *

Reisen Udongein Inaba was not currently a happy lunar rabbit. She was heavily intoxicated, although her mind was trying to figure out whose fault that was.

She stumbled around within her room in Eientei, walking around in a drunken stupor. She looked down at the floor only to see that she did not trip over the bottles of sake on the ground, each one empty.

If one were to check the bottles, they would find the fingerprints of Reisen upon them, and begin to think she was responsible for her drunken state.

Yet Tewi Inaba was in the room, and she was not drunk.

Although the last part of that argument was completely invalidated by the fact that Tewi was over one thousand years older than Reisen. And the fact that the alcohol consumed on the Moon was not nearly as potent as alcohol on the Earth.

So Reisen did have an excuse for her drunken state. She had rarely drank anyways, so she was not used to this much. Tewi had been responsible for the amount of alcohol consumed by Reisen, so the lunar rabbit did not have much to answer for at all.

Tewi had simply been told to get the rabbit distracted while Kaguya was picked up by the escorts from the Moon. She had tried to get Reisen to drink, knowing that it would get the rabbit out quickly. She had not been reluctant. For all the time Tewi had known Reisen, the lunar rabbit had never once completely willingly consumed alcohol.

This time was clearly different. She had instantly started drinking, seemingly willing to let her mind get completely torn away from the matter of Kaguya and the Moon. She had started rambling on in some ancient language from the Moon, which Tewi could not figure out at all.

The earth rabbit lay on her stomach, looking up at Reisen with what could only be described as a sad face. It was a face of pity, saying that she felt bad for the lunar rabbit.

_I wish she would just talk to me, _Tewi thought, _I didn't have to get her drunk. _The earth rabbit had been assigned to keep Reisen busy while Kaguya was brought to the Moon, so that Reisen was not seen or did not interrupt the retrieval of the princess.

However, the earth rabbit knew that she could have done it without the use of alcohol. _I would have just played with her for a while, _Tewi thought sadly, _but she just won't… _

Tewi's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden fall of Reisen. She had tripped over a bottle on the floor, and was now busy rolling around on the ground, muttering incomprehensible phrases.

Tewi stood with a sigh. She wanted to try and help Reisen, but from the great amount of past experience she had, someone could not be helped when in this state.

The earth rabbit would have to wait for Reisen to sober up before helping her out. "As long as you don't run off to fight off the Lunarians," she said, as she sat down beside the larger yet younger rabbit, "I guess there's no problem,"

"Don't make me go back!" Reisen screamed suddenly. She wasn't rambling anymore. That was a reaction to what Tewi had said.

Reisen still wavered as she sat up, but her eyes were wide in fear, and her head was turning back and forth, searching for some invisible threat.

"Reisen!" Tewi shouted, running across the room. She really did care about the lunar rabbit, and seeing her screaming like this was not pleasant.

She knelt down next to the rabbit, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked, even though it was obvious that Reisen was not alright.

Reisen wrapped her arms around Tewi in a maneuver which made the young-looking rabbit uncomfortable. She wanted to push Reisen away, but the way Reisen desperately hung onto her told Tewi that Reisen needed her right now.

_No, _Tewi thought, _that would be too hopeful. She does not need me, she just needs a pillow to lay on. _

She let Reisen embrace her, while the lunar rabbit started to ramble on and on about how she did not want to return to the moon. This time it was in Japanese, only barely slipping into a more incomprehensible language. Tewi wondered why the rabbit had left in the first place.

_She never talked to me about it, _she realized, _she never even hinted. She never liked me in the first place, so it makes sense. _

"Why don't you want to go back?" Tewi asked, speaking slowly and sternly. She received no response that made any sense, only more random shouting. "Reisen!" she shouted, annoyed now and forgetting that shouting would do nothing, "What did they do to you?!" Yet she shouted because she was concerned.

Reisen was shaking uncontrollably, in a way that scared Tewi to her core. _I never had these thoughts about Lunarians, _the earth rabbit thought, _they treated the rabbits like pets, but what could they have done to Reisen? _

Reisen started mumbling about things like killing and secret operations. Tewi could not make out or understand most of the words, as she kept slipping into Lunarian, but she did her best.

The ramble did not paint a pretty picture for Tewi Inaba. What she could make out told her of a person whose skills had been exploited to maximum effect in some kind of missions against the inhabitants of Earth.

A thousand different scenarios flashed through her mind in those moments, and she wished that none of them were true. And she thought for a second that a few thousand more scenarios could not be thought up by her relatively sheltered mind.

Tewi was smart, but she knew little about Lunarian interactions with the Earth, and the technology they had. And she knew of this lack of knowledge, and how it may be more blissful to not imagine the more horrific possibilities that would arise with an in-depth knowledge of such things.

Eirin had told Tewi that Reisen had something called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Tewi understood the term, but she could not understand what had given such a horrible condition to Reisen.

Reisen was crying now. Her tears wetted Tewi's shoulder, as the rabbit's head was pressed tightly against that part of Tewi's body. Her arms were wrapped around the rabbit, hugging her tightly.

For a second, Tewi wanted to think that Reisen was not drunk, that was she doing this of her own free will. It was a happy dream, but it was only a dream.

Tewi came back to reality, staring into the eyes of Reisen as the rabbit looked up at Tewi. The smaller rabbit brought her hand to softly stroke the hair of Reisen, as the wide-eyed, teary girl stared up at Tewi, as if she was begging the rabbit for help.

"I wish there was something I could do," Tewi said, with a smile, "But you won't tell anyone anything unless you're like this, and now, I can't help you,"

Reisen wept against the shoulder of the earth rabbit, who was far older than the lunar rabbit she held. Tewi could only tightly hold Reisen, and pray that she would one day find peace.

Tewi looked up at the ceiling, at the spot where she would see the Moon if the ceiling was not there. She did care about Reisen. And it was this compassion that made her wish something that she hated herself for wishing. She would have preferred to not take a side. But whatever was going on up there was breaking perfectly happy people like Reisen.

Silently, she wished that Kaguya did not succeed. That the Moon did burn itself to the ground.

* * *

Kaguya stepped into the body of the shuttle. Eleonore was right behind her, and she had just waved her final goodbye to Eirin and Yukari.

The princess wished that the youkai would take the lesson she had learned that night to heart. Something in Kaguya told her that Yukari was wise enough to do so, but another part of the princess told her that Yukari was far too stubborn to take advice even from someone who had two thousand years on her.

The princess tried to be hopeful, but was surprised by what she found in the shuttle. Instead of an empty space, which she expected, she saw four other figures.

Each one was a fully armored and armed lunar rabbit. The shoulder pads of their armor bore the heraldry of House Kagome, and they stood in tandem as Kaguya entered.

As one, they bowed their heads, at the same angle Eleonore had. Kaguya swept her eyes over the rabbits as they bowed. Their heads were almost comical, as the grim look of their helmets was sharply contrasted by the ears protruding from their heads, which were covered by bulletproof fabric.

The suits were of course completely sealed, so the soldiers could operate in a vacuum, but they showed evidence of far more than just vacuum sealing. Kaguya recognized the signs of personal jetpacks, limited shield systems, and each soldier carried some kind of massive weapon on their back.

From what Kaguya knew, she was not looking at some random soldiers, she was looking at the elite guard of House Kagome.

Kaguya stared at the guards for a few seconds more, and the rabbits continued to stand straight as she stared. She had to admit that they were very well-disciplined, and took their duties seriously.

There was a certain kind of respect in the way they stood, a respect not usually seen in any lunar rabbits. Most Lunarians treated the rabbits like slaves, using them for things they did not want to do personally.

Only Lunarians who liked personally protecting the Moon joined the Lunar Self Defense Force, and most left the hard work to the lunar rabbits, many of whom were forcibly conscripted.

This treatment that the rabbits received resulted in them never truly respecting the person they saluted or bowed to. They did it, and they did it well, because they had to or else they would be in trouble, especially when dealing with someone like Kaguya, who was to be respected despite her lack of any title. _Not that I would be mad at them, _the once-princess thought to herself.

One could tell that the rabbits were mistreated through the slightest things about their posture. If they were standing up straight, their arms glued to their sides, and not wavering at all, then they did not truly respect the person who spoke to them. It was only a show. Acting is so much easier than serious respect.

If they were wavering, if their arms shook, if their arms hung a little loosely, or if their backs were bent even a little, then the rabbits were truly respectful of the person they were supposed to respect. It was a game, a game that Kaguya had gotten very, incredibly good at.

_The two races became equal after the reforms following the Last War. As in completely, absolutely equal, but I suppose that things have changed once again. Changed quite a lot, from what it seems like. _And sure enough, the old customs did seem to apply to the present.

Kaguya saw now that these rabbits truly respected her. She knew Princess Kagome personally, and was not surprised. The young princess was quite fond of most of her rabbits. More and more Lunarians had been starting to convert to that way of thinking back before Kaguya was banished, and she wondered how they felt now.

Eventually, the princess moved and sat next in a seat next to one of the windows. There were a total of six seats in the craft, one in front of the door, and two behind the door. The rabbits were in the front seats, and in the rearmost seats, so Kaguya sat on the left side chair behind the door.

The lunar rabbits sat down as the princess did, and Eleonore followed soon afterwards. The door closed, and the shuttle's engines activated once more. Kaguya closed her eyes, but then opened them again, feeling a desire to watch as she left a planet she had loved as her home for a long time.

Kaguya stared out one of the small windows of the shuttle, watching the ground rush away beneath her, and feeling her stomach turn as the craft sped towards the point where it would achieve orbital velocity.

The ground was rushing away faster than she could see now that the main engines had ignited. Kaguya started to feel a little sick. It had been a thousand years since she had experienced the feeling of exiting the gravity well of a planet.

Her various items lay on the seat next to her, placed beside one another neatly. They were in no danger from being affected by the thrust, at least not after the first twenty seconds.

The dampening fields kicked in and it was then like the craft was completely motionless.

Kaguya kept looking out the window, and saw that the clouds were far below her. The black void of space was approaching quickly, yet the shuttle showed no signs of being affected.

Magical systems kept the outside of the shuttle completely cool, so as to prevent detection by the humans. The only thing they could see were the engines, and that was why the ship was burning so quickly at this point.

The atmosphere had not been exited, yet the ship was going at a speed sufficient to get the craft to the moon in around a day. As soon as space was reached, the border of Gensokyo would no longer protect the ship, and the humans may be able to see something.

The antigravity engines helped with the initial acceleration, but once the gravity field was exited, they had nothing to push against.

The atmosphere was breached.

Space was entered.

Kaguya was strapped in, but still felt her weight decrease a little. The shuttle generated a small gravity field, which was new for the princess. She looked to her five objects, to find that they were only slightly floating off the ground.

"New magitech," Eleonore said, noticing Kaguya's bewilderment, "Artificial gravity is no longer restricted to larger ships now." She was speaking Lunarian now, which was the language that Kaguya replied in.

Kaguya was surprised. "When did this come about?" she asked. Her knowledge of Lunarian was somewhat rusty, but she could at least remember all of the proper dialect for conversations between nobles. Other interactions would be awkward if they involved more advanced grammar or vocabulary.

"The last ten years," Eleonore replied, "It was brought about by military funding of a formerly civilian project,"

Kaguya nodded, and went back to staring out the window of the shuttle. The earth was still large behind her, but she knew that in a few hours, it would only be a small blue and green orb.

She noticed several ships now flying alongside the shuttle. They were long, needle-shaped craft, and two of them were off to one side of the shuttle. Kaguya strained to look out the window of the other side, and noticed two similar ships flying to that side as well.

Eleonore noticed this, and explained, "Interceptors," she said, "They belong to the Kagome House,"

"Why are they here?" Kaguya asked, raising her eyebrows suspiciously, "The humans have little chance of noticing this shuttle, and we all know the humans have nothing which can come close to touching it."

Eleonore nodded, and then said nothing more. Kaguya heard the silent message which told her that Eleonore, and Princess Kagome, were not worried at all about what the humans of the Earth could do.

There was several minutes of silence in the shuttle, which Kaguya soon found to be awkward. As she looked around the shuttle, she saw that a similar feeling was felt by everyone. Even though Eleonore betrayed no emotions on her face, and Kaguya could not see the faces of the rabbits, she could tell that they were uncomfortable.

The rabbits were all seated strangely for the heavy loads they carried on their backs, and Eleonore's legs were crossed, while her arms were crossed. The rabbits were leaning to one side or the other, and that was unnatural behavior for woman who had just displayed excellent discipline a few minutes ago.

Eleonore had nothing to be displeased about, except for Kaguya's silence, and the way she was acting. The princess almost felt a little bad about being silent even though the others felt strange.

_Why are they acting this way? What is their problem with my silence? _Kaguya wondered. She thought for a few moments, and then the answer came to her.

_Having a woman who was exiled from the moon when they were just children, or not even born, in the shuttle with them must be strange. _Kaguya thought, _they might fear me in some way, or they are just unsure of how to act in front of me. _

_They know me well enough to understand to respect me when greeting me and when I am directly observing them, but do they understand what I want them to do, what I would prefer them to do, when we are waiting for several hours? _

Kaguya decided that the other occupants did not know the answer to that question. And Kaguya realized that she had a new question for herself. How did she figure all of those things out about them by looking at them?

_I've not been in a courtroom for a thousand years, _Kaguya thought, _I'm no political animal like I was, but how have I remembered such a complex skill? There's no reason I should be able to tell the feelings of someone by looking at them, not after a thousand years of rest. _

She almost chuckled out loud, as she realized that eight hundred of those years had been fighting with Mokou. In a way, such bickering had been rest for the princess, as it had been nothing compared to the death and destruction she had seen in previous years of her life.

_I guess I'm just a natural at these kinds of things, _Kaguya thought to herself. She hated to admit that she loved the politics of the Moon, but there was a certain thrill to the entire process.

Kaguya thought about saying something. The silence was becoming unbearable for her, as she knew that everyone had many questions to ask, but did not ask them out of fear of being rude.

She decided to start the conversation. "What happened to your eyes?" she asked Eleonore, and then added, "That is, if you do not mind me asking?"

Eleonore was silent for a moment, and then she spoke. She turned her head towards Kaguya, and the center of her bandages was located right across from the center of Kaguya's forehead.

"I lost them, about 8 AL," Eleonore said, "Out on Titan,"

Several things about Eleonore's words struck Kaguya, but the first was the last words said. "Titan?" Kaguya asked, "The colonization project was successful?"

"Yes, it was," Eleonore said, "More than just successful, the Jovian and Saturnine moons are now the first major colonies of the Moon,"

Kaguya remembered the days before her banishment. She thought of how one of the senate issues of the time had been a debate on the colonization of other celestial bodies. The plan was to send expeditions to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and then work to terraform these moons and then shield the true face of them from the humans.

Kaguya had no idea that the plan would actually pass. The consensus when she left was that the Lunarian civilization was perfectly fine where it was, and any expansion would only waste time and energy.

Sure, there had already been colonies there before the Age of Purity began, but a few dirty nuclear weapons had cleaned those up. There was no need to go back, anyways.

"What happened out there?" Kaguya asked, "Is there some kind of danger?"

"I lost them," Eleonore said, "I would prefer if we could leave it at that,"

Kaguya nodded, but she had more to ask about what Eleonore had said. The woman seemed willing to answer the princesses questions to an extent, and the limit seemed to be more personal questions.

Kaguya doubted that she was being misinformed about the colonies, as Kagome was not the kind of person to do that to a friend like Kaguya. Kaguya's natural instincts also told her that Eleonore was not lying, and the princess was inclined to believe that part of her.

"You said 8 AL, is there a new calendar?" Kaguya asked, concerned, "Was the AC calendar abolished?" The princess spoke with a heavy sense of concern in her voice. Calendar changes usually occurred when society as a whole decided it had entered a new age.

Kaguya did not like the idea that Lunarian society as a whole had decided that the Age of Purity was over. She referred to the Age of Purity as AC due to the fact that the word translated to Avundie Chireintaing (A fairly rough approximation of the pronunciation, of course) in Lunarian.

Eleonore sighed. She clearly did not want to discuss this issue, as it was a touchy subject, but she seemed willing and ready to do it nonetheless.

"Technically, the AC calendar still exists, but the military, and the government, have both switched to the AL calendar," Eleonore explained, "After Landing, is what it means, counting the years after the human landing, and yes, it is in English."

"Why English?" Kaguya said, "I'd imagine that they'd want to distance themselves as much as possible from the culture that first landed?"

"True," Eleonore said, "But it's more of an insult against the humans. They imagine that if they use a couple words from the English language, then it will function as a sort of insult, or show their unwillingness to back down against human threats,"

"The fact is that it has seemed to work so far, as the general populace seems to have embraced the idea of the AL calendar, but the Negotiator faction has not," the blind woman explained.

"So in the end, this year is still AC 3679, but it is also AL 65," Eleonore said with a sorrowful sigh.

"They don't consider themselves pure anymore?" Kaguya asked, "As that is what the abolishment of the old calendar means, or are they really too blind to see that."

"Supposedly, the new calendar is supposed to exist only until the end of the War with the Earth and Gensokyo. When we win, and the two places are reduced to ash, then we will revert back to the old calendar, so in the end, we are still pure." Eleonore said. Her tone of voice made it sound like she was paraphrasing from a child's textbook, written specifically to convince children of the righteousness of the Purists.

Kaguya nodded, feeling a little down. She stared down at the floor, uncertain of what was to come. She was not even an hour into this eight-hour long flight, and she was already feeling rather depressed.

"Don't worry, princess," Eleonore said, "Much of the populace is uncertain, or still opposes the Purists, and it is only a matter of time before they realize that they're aren't crazy enough to start a civil war,"

"They just might be crazy enough," Kaguya said, thinking of the fanatics she knew to be in charge of the LSDF the last time she was on the Moon. "The Watatsukis might just pull the trigger if they're convinced it's the only way."

Eleonore shook her head. "The Watatsukis are no longer in power," she said, "They are not even the Watatsukis anymore,"

"What?!" Kaguya shouted, "What happened?!"

"The Second Impure Invasion, as the incident of AC 3679 is called, resulted in the presence of impure creatures on the moon for a month. The High Command believed that these creatures were spies, completely ignoring the fact that all they did was take a jar of sake after roaming around for a month with the rabbits."

"Seeing as how the Watatsukis and their failure were responsible for this incursion, they were stripped of all their power, their titles, their positions as sages and princesses, and everything they had." Eleonore paused, then continued, "They graciously and publicly accepted positions as Major Generals in the LSDF, supposedly a sign of mercy from High Command, but they are nothing more than figureheads."

Kaguya was shocked. She was shocked to the core. She stared at Eleonore in disbelief. "You can't be serious," she said, "You can't possibly be telling the truth,"

"I know this is hard to accept, but it is true," Eleonore said, "I'm sorry,"

Kaguya looked down at the ground, her entire body trembling. "I knew those two girls when they were young. I taught them a lot about everything when they were growing. I was effectively their caretaker, but…but they never did anything wrong. I was over a thousand by the time they came to power as sages, and I had known them for all their lives."

"Not a single crime, not a single breach of any of the laws of purity," Kaguya whispered, "There was nothing they could have done better. The Second Lunar…'war', was nothing but a game Yukari was playing, specifically to achieve this result."

"They did nothing wrong now," Eleonore said, then slipped into a sarcastic tone, "It is quite clear that the complacency of the Lunarians led to inadequate defensive measures being taken. Two girls aren't enough to stop an _entire land_ out to get onto the Moon."

"What's happened to them?" Kaguya asked, "What did they do to them?"

"Like I said, the two have been used as an example of how a true Lunarian must always be on guard, and watching against the enemy, and what will happen if they do not do those things." Eleonore explained, "And their promotions were used as symbols of how all Lunarians can be forgiven for sins, but in reality, the sisters are puppets now,"

"They're husbands divorced them, their titles were stripped from them, and their house cast them out," Eleonore said, "They, and all the children they have with anyone, shall all be commoners, and carry the shame of Toyohime and Yorihime,"

"You're lying," Kaguya said, her face twisted in horror, "Divorce, lost titles, cast out from their house…"

"Such things have not occurred since before the Age of Purity began!" Kaguya shouted, "It happened to the nobles who started the Last War, but no one since then!"

"Times change," Eleonore said, as if that would explain everything. Kaguya realized that in a way, it did.

"So this means the military has total control over the government now?" Kaguya asked, "Why have they not pushed the invasion of Earth more?"

"They don't have total control," Eleonore explained, "The Emperor has effectively been rendered powerless, replaced by the Supreme Commander, who answers to the High Command of the LSDF, however the Supreme Commander has the High Command in his pocket and they support whatever he wants."

"The only thing stopping the military at this point is the threat of civil war, and the senate. The former evolved from internal dissention, and is a serious issue in any situation. The senate can at least slow down the Purists, and thanks to articles restricting the Emperor from absolute power, the military can't do anything until they have total control everywhere. The senate can still oppose the military, but we should thank the High Command and the Supreme Commander, Chirain Seseliasis, for being afraid to start anything ten years ago."

"At that point, a civil war was closer than ever, but the LSDF was afraid to start the war, worrying, knowing, that they would be seen as impure if they were not defending themselves. So they waited for the Negotiators or the military dissenters to start something, but neither force did. The decision to go to full war was almost made, but some masterful delaying tactics used by our contacts in the loyalist LSDF units meant that Seseliasis could not begin the war for three months."

"Those three months gave Princess Kagome the chance to unify the Negotiators and the dissenters in the LSDF, meaning that the military and the senate Purists could not roll over either group, respectively. This hasty effort both saved our cause and the Earth, but it effectively assured that tensions would continue to escalate until one side definitively succeeded."

Kaguya nodded. _This Supreme Commander seems like a very scared fellow. Worrying about purity is strange for someone of his position. _Most Lunarians accepted that they would have to commit some impure actions when they joined the LSDF, but it was all for a good cause.

_Does Seseliasis truly believe he's doing the right thing by choosing to destroy the Earth? _Kaguya wondered. "What was the Supreme Commander worried about?" Kaguya asked, "Why did he care about his reputation?"

"It was not his reputation, not exactly," Eleonore said, "The common people of the Moon did not back his decisions ten years ago. Now, after the latest incident with Gensokyo, they certainly do, at least most of them, but back then, Seseliasis was close to being thrown out."

"He believed that he was the most pure, even though he was pushing to exterminate every race of an entire planet," Eleonore shook her head, "He needed some amount of popularity, or else he would have been gone by now."

"So he did not want to act too hastily," Kaguya said, "Or do anything that would displease the wider populace?"

"Exactly," Eleonore said, "It was quite predictable what he was doing back in the day, but there is only so much maneuvering one can do when they are outnumbered three to one,"

The shuttle was silent after this. Kaguya had nothing more to say, and Eleonore had no more questions to answer. The princess was once more content to sit in silence, and the rest of the occupants seemed more satisfied with sitting silently, now that they had seen that Kaguya was truly concerned about the Moon.

A few hours passed, and the halfway mark between Earth and the Moon was reached. The long, narrow shuttle was of a more advanced make than Kaguya knew, and she wondered how it was going so fast.

"What do they put in these things these days?" she asked, "We're traveling a distance that used to take eighteen hours to travel in less than half the time,"

"This isn't exactly your standard transport," Eleonore explained, "It's the Princess Kagome's personal vessel, and it had been outfitted by the best magitechnologists we have on our side."

"There was a huge surge of advancement in terms of interplanetary transport when the Jovian colony plan was passed. Although we already made all this stuff during the Pre-Purity days, it was all phased out when the Age of Purity began, as you know. But it's been brought back, and brought back quite well, from a scientific standpoint."

Kaguya remembered AC 2380, the year that the first interstellar vessel was to launch from the Moon and travel to the distant stars. The vessel was drone-controlled, but it was a historic event nonetheless. In the end, the entire thing was bogged down by the complacency of the Lunarians.

The final mission plan had been vetoed, and every one that was developed afterwards was vetoed as well. No one was influencing anyone. There was no court intrigue or rebellion in the works. It was just that the Lunarians preferred to stay in their safe, perfect environment on the Moon, instead of take risks and advance quickly.

"The warp drive was scaled down to the size of a shuttle, and after a while, they worked out power imbalances and by AC 3091, the first warp drive had been put on a shuttlecraft. Nowadays, the warp drives are far more efficient and powerful, and greatly shorten any journey of any length,"

Kaguya tried to think of what she had learned about warp drives back in the day. She knew of the basic concept, which was that a magic field warped space and time so that the distance between two points was shortened.

The larger ships had much faster drives, brining point A and B much closer together than a smaller ship, but that was because the larger ships were to traverse much larger distances.

The other problem with such large engines and such high speeds was that gravity fields tended to mess with warp engines, so the drives could not be used inside the circumference of the asteroid belt.

But the smaller drives could be used inside the belt, and this was what most shuttles used. "Everything interplanetary has been converted to warp drives?" Kaguya asked.

"Yes," Eleonore replied, "Everything, from commercial ships going back and forth to the colonies to the most advanced Black Operations vessels."

That name rung a bell in Kaguya's head. She had heard it many times before, and had her own theories about a person quite close to her. "Black operations?" she asked, "How is that division doing, or should I say not doing?"

Eleonore chuckled, "They are still around, but they're also killing off humans they find threatening, not just Lunarians and rabbits,"

"Are they now?" Kaguya asked, "Eirin mentioned some things like that,"

"Yes," Eleonore said, "Some of the greatest mysteries of recent history for the humans can be explained by looking at the moon above them every night,"

The girl then adopted a completely different face, now looking far more serious and focused. "Joking aside, the Black Ops division is still not public, but we have enough to expose it, including several defectors. These defectors, however, were not very high up, as the higher ranks are now completely brainwashed and closely monitored, after the 2 AL Incident."

"The 2 AL Incident?" Kaguya asked. _Does she mean…no, maybe not. _However, Kaguya did not have to speculate much longer, as the girl explained.

"In 2 AL, or AC 3616, a colonel in the Black Ops ran away to Earth. Rumor has it that she was helped by the Watatsukis, and if you ask some, they say she is now in the employ of the Princess Kaguya." Eleonore explained, leaning towards Kaguya at the end of the sentence. It was only a little, but it was enough to tell Kaguya that Eleonore was not speaking rhetorically. It was less a polite question, more an interrogation.

Kaguya thought hard about her reply. She wondered what would happen if she exposed the fact that she knew Reisen and that the rabbit was working for her. Kaguya had long suspected that the rabbit was in the Black Ops Division, and this confirmed it. She had arrived in something far too fancy for anyone but a Black Ops officer to obtain.

"No," Kaguya said, "She never came to me, and I have not even heard of that incident. I guess she may have crashed on Earth somewhere, or is hiding somewhere no one can find her."

Kaguya was speaking hostilely, as if she had been insulted. Eleonore backed away, sitting up straight once more. "I did not mean to offend you, I simply asked a question."

The princess said nothing. She turned her head, her heart in pain as she was already forced to lie. She knew for a fact that it would not be the last time she would be lying.

* * *

**I am not making up an entire Lunarian language. Yes, this story is extensively planned out, but later chapters will mention that the language is incredibly complex, so a few words and phrases will be given in Lunarian, and nothing more. The naming is going to be a mix of more earth-sounding stuff, like Kaguya, and more alien stuff, such as the aforementioned Supreme Commander's name.**

**I realized that this whole thing has made Yukari look bad, but she's actually one of my favorite characters. I also think the Watatsukis have the chance to be good characters, and they do actually play a quite major role in the story, so this isn't just bashing them mindlessly.**


	5. Preludes to the Arrival

Kaguya said nothing in reply to Eleonore as the girl leaned away. Then, she cast a glance at one of the soldiers in the shuttle. The rabbit was staring at Kaguya, but she turned away quickly when the princess looked at her.

Kaguya looked at the equipment of the rabbits once more. It was far too extensive for anyone but the most elite and qualified soldiers to have. Kaguya had never even heard of most of it, and they looked completely different from the far more peacekeeping-oriented rabbits of her time.

Still, a force of five thousand peacekeepers along with five hundred Lunarians amongst them, had managed to hold off a much larger army of youkai, and then the Moon had mobilized within a day to launch the largest counterattack ever seen in the Sol System.

So Kaguya did not doubt the warlike abilities of the Moon when it was threatened. She simply questioned the reasons as to why lunar rabbits were now walking around with enough firepower to level a building and then some.

"What is with the equipment of the soldiers?" Kaguya asked, "Are they the best Kagome has to offer?"

"Yes, but they're not limited in number," Eleonore said, "They are elite, but there are two or three thousand armed in that manner at the moment, and that number grows by the day."

"Lilis," Eleonore called, and the rabbit directly in front of her turned to the side, and turned her head to look at Eleonore. "Stand up, please,"

The rabbit complied, and Kaguya got a better look at the armor she wore. It was almost entirely covering her body, with only a few gaps left in the armor plating for joints. The armor plating looked to be enough to stop anything she knew of, and she spotted what she recognized as a personal shield generator.

The things had been around for a while back when Kaguya had left, but it was certainly more advanced than before.

"Rifle," Eleonore said, and she was handed the rifle the rabbit carried. The weapon had power cords attaching it to the pack on the rabbit's back. The cords were thin, but they were obviously sturdy and very long. The places where they connected also looked to be well-made, so there was little chance of the cords being disconnected or damaged.

"This is a current generation plasma rifle," Eleonore said, hefting the large weapon in her hands. It was easily as large as what would classify as a heavy machine gun on Earth, and even a bit larger. "It is to be a standard infantry weapon sooner or later,"

She pointed to the large, circular barrel, which was a cone extending from the bottle-shape of the rest of the weapon. "This can fire one hundred and eighty rounds per minute, and will only overheat if fired for five minutes straight."

"Magic-imbued materials keep the weapon cool, and also serve to refill the supply of ammunition. There is enough ammunition carried by one soldier for an entire week, and that is in the gun alone, not counting the other clips they carry, as well as the power pack on their back.

"Each plasma bolt can cut through armor several feet thick, and can deal with most kinds of shields given enough time. There are self-stabilizing systems in the gun to allow for maximum accuracy, and very little recoil is produced by the weapon. Combined with the stabilizing properties of the power armor soldiers wear, there is little chance of them missing their target."

Eleonore was easily hefting the large weapon, even though it was oversized for any common soldier to be carrying around. She explained, "There are small anti-gravity generators on the bottom, which make this entire thing weigh about five pounds."

Eleonore pointed to the power cords of the weapon, "Those connect to the power pack, which supplies the magic energy needed as well as the conventional power and ammunition. The pack is supported by antigrav as well, so the entire thing is very light."

Kaguya was amazed, "This is something dug up from the depths of time," she muttered, "This is nothing that's been around for thousands of years. They actually reactivated designs from the previous era?"

"Yes," Eleonore explained, "About half the military is busy converting to Last War tech at the moment. The other half is already mostly complete." Kaguya looked down, saddened by this news.

Eleonore handed the rifle back to Lilis, and then reached to the rabbit's belt. The blind girl pulled out a large weapon from a holster. It was shaped like a pistol, but it was a large one.

It was about the size of Eleonore's head, and shaped like a thin box with various open spaces and attachments. One open space was the area between the trigger and the hand-guard, while the other was where the edge of the box went diagonally towards the barrel, forming a sort of triangular shape. At the end of the triangle was a large barrel, which was as wide as the weapon itself. Before the barrel, and after the trigger was a large rectangle, which went down farther than the trigger guard did.

The entire weapon was colored black, with the optics atop the weapon showing hints of other colors. A large scope was atop the handgun, and it was placed on a rotary mount. There were two other scopes below it, which could be slid into position as the current one was rotated out. The entire construct was massive, looking almost comical, but the effectiveness of it was unquestionable, given the fact that weight meant nothing when antigrav engines came into play.

The current scope was one designed for long range combat, being longer and more detailed than the other scopes. Another one was shorter, magnifying objects only two or so times more than normal. The final one was not designed for magnification, instead used for close-ranged battle.

Kaguya almost instantly recognized the weapon. It took her a second to think, but she had seen it before. "A Multi-Purpose Ballistic Handgun," she said, "They're still used?" Unlike many things in use at the moment, the Multi-Purpose Ballistic Handgun was from the Last War, even before that time, so many thousands of years ago.

"Some things just can't be beat," Eleonore said with a shrug, "it is a very effective weapon, after all. There was no need to change anything about it, at least not drastically."

Kaguya thought about the design of the weapon. She did notice that it was somewhat different, "But something changed, did it not?" she asked.

Eleonore nodded, "Yes, the model you know of would be the MPBH 3. This is the MPBH 6."

"The 6?" Kaguya asked, "I take it the other incarnations have been made in the past 50 years?"

"Yes," Eleonore replied, "The LSDF decided that having a weapon capable of fighting at any range, and capable of firing flechette, armor-piercing, high-explosive, and a dozen other kinds of rounds was not good enough."

"They improved it, how?" Kaguya asked. The MPBH she knew of was one of the most advanced weapons in existence. It was only ballistic because of the variety of bullets which could be used.

Each bullet carried a magical charge along with it, enhancing its abilities even farther. Flechette rounds were made more deadly, with each individual piece of metal able to cut through most types of armor. Armor-piercing rounds could go through tanks, and high-explosive rounds could blow out small buildings.

Tiny computers in the bullets guided the bullets right to their targets, and controlled detonation times. Flechette rounds would go off at exactly the right time, and high-explosive rounds would explode to hit as many as possible.

"More bullet types, more advanced optics, more advanced guidance systems," Eleonore said, "I would not call it a new type of weapon, it is just a refinement of the previous models,"

"As if they needed to be refined," Kaguya muttered. She found it interesting that a civilization that was as supposedly pure as the Lunarian one was quite good at making weapons.

"The biggest change they made was the improvement of the youkai buster rounds," Eleonore said. Pulling a clip from Lilis's belt, and handing it to Kaguya. The princess remembered that such things had not existed back when she had been on the Moon, as relations with the youkai of Earth had been good before the first invasion.

The youkai invasion was easily halted by the advanced LSDF, and after twenty-four hours of preparation, a massive counterattack had been launched on the youkai of the Earth.

Kaguya remembered hearing the reports come through as the youkai were slaughtered for their transgression. A fraction of the total population had survived to this day, and that was the only reason Gensokyo was even feasible in the first place, because there was not nearly as many youkai as there used to be.

Eleonore placed the MPBH and the clip she had shown Kaguya back on the belt of the lunar rabbit. Next, she reached across Lilis's body and drew a long, straight sword.

It was about two feet long, and a single click of the button increased the length by a foot by extending an energy field that hummed softly as it glowed bright blue.

"This is the current close-combat weapon," Eleonore explained, "Capable of cutting through any armor, except the thickest."

The energy field not only extended from the tip of the straight sword, it also covered the metallic edges. Kaguya knew a magnetic field carefully folded the plasma around the blade and magical circuits kept the blade from melting in the heat.

"They're still developing all this even more. I doubt they'll roll it all out before the planned date for the attack, in about a month from now." Eleonore said.

Eleonore placed the sword back in its sheath as Kaguya's face became one of fear. "They're ready to do it?!" she exclaimed, "What can we do at this point?!"

"The planned date, I said," Eleonore corrected Kaguya.

Kaguya looked over the rest of the equipment worn by the rabbit, as Eleonore explained, "The planned invasion date is twenty-nine days away, but we doubt it will happen then, even if we do nothing. The military is just trying to show that it truly intends to do something with all the power it now has."

"What are we planning on doing?" Kaguya asked, "How do we end this diplomatically?" She could see now that a war would only cause more destruction than the Moon had ever seen. Maybe even more than the Last War had done.

"You'll see," Eleonore promised, "I'd love to explain, but I'm not one for politics. The Princess Kagome can explain once we arrive."

Kaguya nodded. The shuttle was silent again. More and more, she was seeing why it was for the best that she had left her civilization behind. And now, she was wishing that she was back on Earth.

There was nothing she did not want to deal with in Gensokyo. Even her fights with Mokou had become quite exhilarating. She knew that they would at least be more exciting than dealing with the morass that was the Lunarian Senate.

Yet the lunatic princess was going to the Moon. The Moon which had long ago declared her a heretic.

The Moon she loved and hated.

* * *

The Moon was close now. Kaguya could see the surface in great detail now, and she knew it was only a matter of time before they entered the boundary of the true Moon.

Kaguya had taken to calling it the fantastic moon, as that was how it had been called on Earth. But she knew that such a name was false. The true form of the Moon was the form the Lunarians dwelt on. The term fantastic was for something that was a fantasy, and the Lunarians were a real people.

There was no fantastic moon. There was simply the illusionary Moon, and the true Moon.

There was a flash, and the barren surface of the illusion below as replaced by the vibrant colors of a living world. That was not the only thin Kaguya noticed, however.

She looked up, and saw the space docks she knew to exist over the Moon. In the past, they had been small, and occupied by the few ships of the LSDF.

Now, they were massive, and occupied by hundreds of craft. The largest amongst them were not even complete. There were the half-built forms of two large ships, and a form of a ship that was close to completion.

These three large ships must have each been close to three kilometers long. Kaguya's eyes widened as she saw the massive vessels. The largest ships she knew of, which had been made in the Last War, were only a little over one and a half kilometers long.

"What are those?" Kaguya asked.

"The dreadnaughts being built for the invasion," Eleonore explained, "Each one is three kilometers long." She used the Earth metric system because the two were the same thing. The Lunarians had never developed a different system of measurement.

"Each of those things could glass a planet!" Kaguya shouted,

"Yes," Eleonore agreed, "Each one carries enough firepower to level a planet, and we're making three of them."

"Why?!" Kaguya said, "What is the point of all the weaponry that has been developed, why create three massive vessels for the sake of the destruction of a far less advanced race?!"

"It's not for the humans," Eleonore said, "You understand that?"

Kaguya frowned, and then her face lit up as she realized the real reason behind the massive amounts of military advancement. "It's not to fight humanity," she said, "It is to control the Lunarian populace, they don't like this course of action, do they?"

"No, they do not," Eleonore replied, "but there is nothing they can do about it when they are being threatened by a larger and more advanced military than ever before seen in Lunarian history,"

Kaguya was horrified. She sat in her seat, her head slowly turning back to look out the window of the shuttle. The craft was descending into the atmosphere now, and it would not be long before they landed.

She looked away from the space docks that were becoming smaller by the second, instead focusing her gaze at the ground. She noticed several areas of interest.

Far below, she could see large military bases, where thousands and thousands of troops gathered. The bases spanned dozens of kilometers, but they were nothing compared to the holes in the ground.

"The vaults," she whispered, "They're really opening the vaults,"

There were a total of five vaults across the Moon. Each one contained a massive amount of military equipment. These vaults were beneath the surface, dug at the end of the Last War. The intention was that these vaults would only be used when they were truly needed by the Moon.

But now, they were being opened to destroy a civilization that was not even half as old as that of the Lunarians.

The weapons of the vaults were somewhat outdated, but Kaguya did not doubt that they would quickly be updated and modernized. "How large…how large is the LSDF?" she asked.

"At the last count, about three days ago, the total count of all personnel totaled around two million. One million of those are warship personnel or flight crew, and the rest are spread across the various sections of the land-based forces."

"There are over fifty thousand armored vehicles of various types in service, and that was before the opening of the second-to-last vault. There are around one hundred thousand units of powered battlesuits in service, seventy-five thousand aerial craft of various types in service, and roughly seven hundred and fifty thousand soldiers of various ranks."

"Two million," Kaguya said quietly, before repeating the words. "That is a massive amount, for our world,"

"It is," Eleonore said, "It is the largest single military force in the past three thousand, six hundred seventy-nine years and we have not even unearthed the last two vaults. There are sure to be more recruits in due time, I am certain."

Kaguya could only nod in reply. "Alright," she said, unable to come up with any other reply. The truth was far too terrible for her to bear. She thought that she was going to come back and easily be able to fight for the side of peace. But now she was seeing that the Lunarian civilization was corrupt.

Yukari did not want to save it, she wanted to burn it to the ground.

_But can't forests benefit from a little fire? _Kaguya thought, hating herself at the same time.

As the shuttle flew in low over the surface of the Moon, Kaguya saw the city spread out below her. It was one of the few things that had been the same as she remembered, at least from the air. The princess figured it was very different down in the actual city.

The place was still a forest of skyscrapers and other tall buildings. It was packed with people and vehicles of all types, and the sky above was filled as well.

Yet there was no kind of pollution. There were no harmful chemicals of any sort being released. The Moon had converted over to clean magitech engines five thousand years before.

There was little need to worry about the status of the atmosphere in this world. However, Kaguya had seen what a nuclear war could do to an atmosphere.

Another such event was not needed by anything.

The shuttle passed over the city, heading out towards the forests around fifty kilometres away. The city that was passed was not the Capital. The Capital was roughly one thousand kilometres north, and this city was known as Erichgaran.

Kaguya watched as the cold silver metal of the city gave way to the vibrant green of the forest. She started to see small estates and mansions here and there, owned by minor nobles.

The style of architecture in this area of the Moon was one known as Okiltunviic. After having lived on Earth, Kaguya could compare the mansions of this architectural style to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. She had learned that the word for such a style on the Earth was European, and she found that the two styles were effectively the same. The Capital and most of the regions around it were built in the other style, Kijitasiseine, which Kaguya could equate to a more Asian style on the Earth.

However, as the mansion of the Princess Yui Kagome came into view, Kaguya realized that she could not compare it to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The mansion of the vampire was a grand one, and yet it was only a few hundred meters in any direction, and three stories average.

This mansion had five stories on average, and reached out for over a kilometer in either direction. In several places, the forest and the mansion mixed, enclosed hallways twisting around the trunks of larger trees as the trees grew right into rooms higher in the mansion.

The entire mansion was made of the finest quality wood and stone. Kaguya knew she would only find metal in the places where it was absolutely needed. The mansion had been built four and a half thousand years before, and had been inherited by the current Kagome after her father had died in the Last War and her mother had been executed by the new regime for being in the previous regime.

This lineage gave the girl a bad reputation that she did not deserve. Nevertheless, Yui Kagome strove to make herself look as good as possible to the rest of the moon, and she certainly did this well.

Over the last thousand years she had constructed a base of power in the Senate and other places with which she had fought the more fanatical members of the Lunarian government, wishing to find peace with the Earth and Gensokyo.

The shuttle was roaring in towards a landing pad, and the interceptor escorts had broken off a long time ago. The pad was one of the few places where metal had been used, and only so that the craft's engines did not light anything aflame.

The shuttle touched down softly, with Kaguya barely feeling the landing through the dampeners present in the make of the shuttle.

Eleonore looked at Kaguya, before standing up and moving to open the door. With the door opening, the servant said, "Welcome home, Princess,"

* * *

The noise of the world was suppressed. There was the faint sound of things that one should normally be able to hear perfectly clearly, yet were now distorted. The volume of the noise was steady, as if something was constantly moving.

Mokou opened her eyes, and saw the surface of a lake far above herself. The sun shone down on the clear blue water of the mountain lake, reflecting off the surface in a brilliant display of the beauty of nature.

Mokou had seen this particular lake several times, and that was the only reason why she knew what the lake looked like in this moment. She was resting on the bottom of the lake. The light was dim, and the surface was barely visible, and was only indicated by the sparkling of the sunlight. _Strange, _the Fujiwara no Mokou thought, _I thought human bodies could float. _

She looked down as she tried to move her arms and felt resistance. Her right arm had a rope tied around it, and that roped was in turn tied around a large rock. Her left arm was bound in a similar way to another large piece of stone.

Mokou sighed, looking up at the surface. There was no way she could swim back up with the rocks weighing her down. She could not use her pyromancy underwater, not without some concentration.

So she grabbed onto the rope with her right hand. Mokou focused on that hand, and it soon started to glow very hot. She gritted her teeth as she started to feel a little pain. Eventually, in an explosion of flame and heat, the water around her hand was vaporized instantly, and the rope burst into flames for a split second before the water surged back into the empty space and extinguished the fire.

The rope was now charred and blackened, and was easily torn into two pieces. Mokou repeated this process with the other rock, feeling that she was about to lose all the breath in her body. She started to hurry. Her own hand briefly lit aflame this time, as the rope broke.

Mokou had run out of air at this point. She started to push herself upwards as she suffocated. She did not feel any kind of panic. She was immortal. Kaguya had done far worse than this. In fact, the princess had drowned Mokou on multiple occasions.

So the immortal human had nothing to really worry about. All she had to do was break the ropes which tied her down. Once she had done that, she could die as many times as she wanted to, as she could get to the surface of the lake easily.

Mokou's vision clouded as she started to die. She was only a couple feet from the surface when everything went black. And so, Fujiwara no Mokou died.

"Hey," a voice called out to that dead girl, as she floated closer to the shore, "You awake?"

Mokou was not entirely alive. Her eyes flickered open, but encountered water, leading to the immediate closing of the lids. Mokou turned over in the water, looking up at the darkening sky. It was a few hours after she had last died.

The immortal sighed, recognizing the voice which called out to her. Keine Kamishirasawa stood on the shore of the lake, holding a few scrolls in her arms as the youkai called out to her immortal companion.

"Hello," Mokou said, still floating on her back, "How's it going?"

"I am well," Keine said, "How are you? An exciting day, I imagine?"

"It was certainly a day," Mokou said. _The day…what did happen? I went to see Kaguya, and then…then that rabbit killed me! _

"You went to see Kaguya, I guess?" Keine said.

"I tried," Mokou said disgruntled, floating closer to the shore, "Didn't see her, though,"

"What happened?" the hakutaku was surprised. _Usually Reisen lets her see Kaguya. She's not happy, but she lets it happen. _

"Reisen happened," the immortal said, turning over onto her stomach and swimming the rest of the way. Keine said nothing, standing where she was until Mokou arrived. She held her hand out and helped the immortal out of the water,

"What did she do?" Keine asked, steadying her friend as she stood up.

"Killed me, with some crazy gun from the Moon," that friend replied, shaking her head and spitting some water out of her mouth to the side. "I don't even know why I couldn't see Kaguya, but apparently, I couldn't." Mokou turned in a full circle, trying to get a sense of direction.

"That way," said Keine, pointing off at the forest in the direction of the house where she and Mokou lived.

"Come on then." Mokou started to walk off in that direction. She was moving faster than her normal, casual pace. Even when she was going to see Kaguya, the immortal went at a slower pace than now. _She's angry, _Keine though, _very angry. _

So the hakutaku did not try to speak with her friend. Instead, she followed a couple steps behind her as she stormed through the woods.

Eventually, after they were about halfway to their destination, Keine had grown restless and concerned enough to say something. She had been completely silent until now, but it was clear that something was seriously wrong with Mokou.

"Are you alright?" she asked, speaking in her sweetest voice possible.

Mokou stopped. Keine stopped as soon as Mokou did. The immortal turned around, her eyes glaring into Keine's. "No," Mokou said with a single shake of her head, "I am certainly not,"

She made to turn around, but Keine grabbed her shoulder and held her where she was. "What's going on?" asked the hakutaku, "Sometimes Eirin or Reisen can get overprotective of Kaguya, and you know that, so what's different this time?"

"Something is…off," Mokou said, then smiled, "I'm not mad at you, Keine, I'm mad at Reisen, or Eirin, or whoever it was that decided that Kaguya needs to sleep in the middle of the day,"

Keine nodded. "I just want to make sure you're alright, that's all," she said, "I didn't mean to intrude,"

"And you didn't intrude. I lashed at you when I should not have, so I apologize."

However, as the immortal apologized, she was breaking away from Keine's grasp on her shoulder. And as she did this, Mokou started to walk away. She walked towards the same place Keine was going to, but the fact was that she had not even waited for Keine to begin once again.

The hakutaku stood on the small path through the forest with a look of astonishment at what had occurred. _Mokou's never like this…There's something serious going on. _

Keine started to walk once more. Her feet moved, yet she did not feel particularly motivated to go back to the same place as the immortal.

She did not entirely know what she felt about Mokou, but she knew that she did not want to be left behind.

* * *

Yukari stood in the clearing of the bamboo forest. Eirin was only a few feet from her. The two woman looked up into the sky, staring at the stars. There were countless bright dots in the heavens on this night, but both the youkai and the Lunarian were trying to find one dot, a dot whose light would not reach the two woman in Gensokyo from the gulf of space between Earth and her Moon.

Yet they still looked, hoping to find it. Possibly they looked for the same reason, or possibly they looked for different reasons. Yukari looked because she did not know where else to look at the moment.

She sent her silent prayers to the lunatic princess whose journey was marked and tracked by the tiny dot that did not exist in the sky, wishing that Kaguya could bring peace to the land that Yukari had brought war to.

Eirin sent a similar prayer to the princess, her princess. Eirin wished for Kaguya to return safely, having resolved the situation peacefully and effectively.

She then looked at the youkai beside her. Yukari looked away, hiding her face from the doctor. It was already dark out, but the light of the moon threatened to illuminate her face. The slight adjustment of her parasol blocked off that silver light.

"I should be going," Yukari said, "Goodbye,"

Eirin called after her, right before she could step into the open gap. Yukari paused, turning her head around. "What is it?" she asked.

"I just wanted to apologize for all of this," Eirin said, "It's clearly quite hard for you."

"Apologize?" Yukari asked, "I don't think you really are sorry,"

"And why would that be?" Eirin's voice made it seem like Yukari was aiming straight for a nerve.

Yukari was hesitant to continue. Anger swelled up in her chest, and she knew that unleashing that rage would not allow for any sort of intelligent conversation. "I think we both understand who started all this…" She said, her voice quiet.

Eirin took a few seconds to reply. "Yukari…" she said, "Don't do this…"

"I recall that it was you who realized that the relations would eventually deteriorate," Yukari explained, "And so you choose to force them yourself, correct? You knew me, so we worked together." Yukari spun around, eyes glaring into Eirin's.

"I would lead the youkai in an invasion that would fail, to show the youkai that they are not as powerful as they like to believe. You would prevent the Lunarians from killing too many, and stop any kind of counterattack. In the end, the Lunarians would gain some respect for the youkai, and the youkai would gain some respect of the youkai. A risky plan, but the result was attempted genocide."

"Yukari…" Eirin repeated, "Not now."

"All you had to do was stop them!" Yukari shouted, "They respected you, you're like a goddess to them! It was so incredibly simple, but you couldn't do anything. Do you know that you caused the deaths of eighty percent of the youkai on the planet!"

"I know that," Eirin said, "But when this all happened, I was wrapped up in other things. The situation had deteriorated for me as well. Things were happening too fast, and I had lost most of my power at court. I couldn't even risk getting a message to you!" She spoke quickly.

Yukari was furious, "It doesn't matter what was happening to you! We should not have set up the plan if you were doing something that you knew would get you banished!"

"Please," The Lunarian said, "Let's not get an-"

"Quiet!" Yukari demanded, "You don't know what it was like, hiding in my gaps, taking as many as I could with me, as the world was burned around me. Listening and watching helplessly as your pure race came down and slaughtered every single youkai they found, even children!"

Eirin gritted her teeth. She almost wanted to retort, but knew it was not her place. "Yukari, what I was doing…it had to be done…"

"Making the Hourai Elixir for Kaguya?!" Yukari asked, "Is that what you were doing, or what was it! If it was so important, then surely I can know!"

Eirin said nothing. Yukari stepped forwards, her one free hand going to grab the collar of Eirin's dress, "So you can't tell, huh?!" The wild look on her face told Eirin that this needed to end now.

Eirin grabbed Yukari's hand, gripping tightly, "You want to start this battle?" She asked. "I'd like to remind you who made you who you are today,"

Yukari's breath escaped her barely open lips, the low growl truly scaring Eirin. The doctor did not want a battle with the youkai. "Yukari," Eirin said, "We've all made mistakes. I failed to protect the Earth, but you are trying to destroy the Moon. I am happy you reconsidered, but directing your anger at me will do nothing."

"So you're saying it's still my fault in the end?" Yukari asked. She knew that Eirin was lying about some things. She hated that. Shaking her head, Yukari let go of the doctor. "We shall speak again," she promised, "I have forgotten your failure for so long, so it should be simple to remind myself that it was all my fault."

"Yukari!" Eirin cried, as the youkai turned around, "I'm not blaming you!" Yukari stopped in her tracks, ready to say more in reply. Eirin kept speaking, "I'm sorry for what happened, and making you feel like it was all your fault. I can only hope that…that my choices won't be proven to be the wrong ones in the end."

"I hope so too..." Yukari said softly, just loud enough to be heard.

"Do you really?"

The youkai nodded, nothing more came from her. A minute passed, before Eirin said, "I'm sorry. I hope...nevermind." Yukair understood that Eirin wasn't saying something. But as a being of but two thousand years, Yukari did feel that a being of at least ten times that age should have the right to some secrets.

Yukari sighed, "Well then…I shall be going now. I can't say that I forgive you..." The youkai walked forwards. As she did, her memory went back to a certain night, some two thousand years before. A night when she had truly been a little girl. A gap opened. She stepped through the hole in space, and was gone.

Eirin fell down onto her rear. She sat on the soft foliage of the forest, eyes looking up towards the Moon. She looked away, shame on her face, hidden from all but the light of the Moon.

* * *

Watatsuki no Yorihime was not Watatsuki no Yorihime. She was no princess anymore. She was not even a Watatsuki. She was simply Yorihime. She hated that fact. She did not hate it as much as some things she hated, but it was still something to be ashamed of.

The former princess was mainly angry about the fact that she had been turned into nothing more than an example of why Lunarians should follow the government, as well as a puppet of many people whom Yorihime did not take a liking to.

She had been trying to get some sleep in the small quarters allocated to her. She had used to live in her own home, as a Sage of the Moon, but now she lived in the Lunar Defence Corps main base in the Lunar Capital. She knew that as a general, she should have had far more than she did.

But she was not going to get anything because of what she had done. Not even a room to herself. Yorihime was particularly happy last night because she had a bed to herself. She did, however, have to feel bad for her sister, as the reason she was not in the same bed as Yorihime the night before is because she was trying to work out the minor details of Kaguya's arrival.

Yorihime did not exactly support the princess, but she did acknowledge her persuasive ability and political skill. And now, she would have to put up with the consequences of her arrival. The phone was ringing.

It was not exactly called a phone by the Lunarians, but that was effectively what it was. The kind that was ringing at the moment was a small, mobile device, typically kept in one's pocket.

Yorihime was suddenly shaken from her sleep. She was a bit surprised to not find another person lying next to her. It was both a memory from the loveless political marriage she had been engaged in before the incident, and how she and her sister had shared a bed for the past month.

Yorihime's hand reached for the phone, as she tried to wake herself quickly. She was relieved to find that her sister was calling, knowing that she would not have to suffer through the insults of a person who had knowingly called her at this hour so that they could insult her lack of energy at the moment.

However, Yorihime also knew that since her sister was calling, she would have to talk about Kaguya. "Hello Toyohime," Yorihime said drowsily. She was doing her best to talk properly and respectfully, but her lack of sleep was preventing her from focusing entirely.

"Hey sis," Toyohime replied. Yorihime almost flinched at Toyohime's casual use of the word 'sis'. Yorihime could hear a faint rumbling sound in the background, suggesting that Toyohime was a in a shuttle heading to see Kaguya. This meant that someone would be listening.

"Don't be so informal," Yorihime said,

"As if we have an image we need to maintain," Toyohime chuckled, "I could make up some wild story about us having been lovers for years and that would not do anything that our own family and our own government have not done to us already,"

"Shut up," Yorihime said harshly, her drowsiness not putting her in a better mood, "Why did you call?"

"Are you alright?" Toyohime asked, "Aside from the usual feelings of loneliness, abandonment, and shame?"

"I was having a dream," Yorihime said, the details of the dream just coming back to her, "It was about…about us when we were young. Kaguya was there…so was Eirin."

Yorihime had dreamed of the days when she had been growing up with her sister. Kaguya was older than them by several hundred years, so she was sort of an older sister to the two. She had always played with them like they were her own family, and the three of them had always loved to spend time with Eirin.

A tear came to Yorihime's eye as she realized how much had changed in the space of a thousand and five hundred years. "I see…" Toyohime replied, her voice was a bit lower in tone. Yorihime could feel the sadness.

"Why did you call me?" Yorihime asked, speaking in a more polite and respectful tone now.

"I'm going to the Princess Kagome's mansion, the Princess Kaguya should have arrived by now," Toyohime explained, "I'm going to make our position on the issue and her presence known immediately,"

"Why would you do that?"

"Because she is the only person who will respect us at this point," Toyohime explained, "She cares about the Moon, as a whole, but I figure that she won't like those who still look down on the Earth,"

"You suggest that we drop all of our superiority, reduce ourselves to the same level as those animals below us?" Yorihime asked in shock.

"That is a conversation for later," Toyohime said, "But what I meant is that we agree to help her, provided that she attempts to defuse the situation peacefully and at least somewhat equally. Is that acceptable?"

Yorihime did not reply for a minute. She knew that her sister could not be far from meeting the princess, but she needed time to figure out what to say. _Allying with her would only shame us further, but there is nothing they can do at this point. Killing either one of us would make us into martyrs for most of the populace, they're already feeling oppressed due to the past few years. Giving some of our support to Kaguya would be meaningless however. Yui would be there to tell the princess that we have little sway anymore. _

_Kaguya could easily refuse us. I'm betting that Toyohime and I will be given the impossible task of slowing Kaguya down, if not stopping her campaign outright. But I know the princess, she's good, and with what little sway we have, the position will only be one which will be used to dispose of us for good when we fail. _

_We'd be martyrs if they killed us after we align with her, but if they execute us for failing to stop the princess after refusing to assist her, then they'll have an excuse. If Kaguya wins, then it will look like the pure government punishing the impure, just like it did a couple months ago. _

_Allying with her…supporting her would be pointless. There's still nothing we can do on the opposite side. We have to stay neutral. _"Don't pick a side," she finally told Toyohime.

"Why?"

"Because either side can easily dispose of us when it is useful for them," Yorihime explained, "We have to stay out of the political turmoil to come. With any luck, whatever happens will displace some major figures that put us where we are now. If we're lucky, then we may be able to get back some authority."

"…Is authority all that matters to you, Yorihime?" Toyohime asked, "Don't you care about just surviving the civil war that may very well occur because of all of this. Don't you care about saving lives? Kaguya may be able to convince the purists to stand down. If she doesn't, or she can't, then over three and a half thousand years of peace shall be ruined by another war. And all you want is your old position back."

"I don't just want my position back, Toyohime. I want to make a difference here." Yorihime explained, "I don't like being what I am right now, not because I can't control people, but because I can't do anything to stop anything. I have no sway, I can't stop or start a war, I can't stop or start peace."

Toyohime shot back harshly, "Do you know how many the last war killed? How much of our race? How much of the rabbits?"

"Seventy-one percent," Yorihime said back, her voice low and quiet, "And eighty-one percent,"

"Do you want another war like that? Do you think that the race can even survive? What if the Gensokyans try to attack when it's over? Do you think that they won't be able to crush the scattered remnants of what's left?" Toyohime was close to screaming back at her sister.

"I want to stop this war," Yorihime said sternly, "I don't want that to happen. But if we make our allegiances clear, known to everyone, then we'll be crushed by those who we oppose."

"You're saying something more than that," Toyohime figured out, "Just tell me what you're saying,"

"Tell Kaguya that we will support her as best we can, from the position we are currently in, provided that she doesn't act too radically. Don't make any demands. There are things that we would prefer her to do, but do not ask for those. Just tell her we are looking out for her." Yorihime explained.

"Understood," Toyohime said, "Sounds like a good plan."

Yorihime expected her sister to end the call at that point. The call was not ended. She was about to take the phone away from her ear and end it herself, when she heard Toyohime say more, "Hey, Yorihime, I'll be back soon, don't worry, alright?"

"I won't," Yorihime said, lying through her teeth. She brought the phone away from her ear. A press of a button ended the call.

She fell back into her bed, eyes heavy as sleep called once more. Yet Yorihime knew that failure to be at the proper place on time would warrant investigation and punishment.

There was nothing she could do correctly anymore.

Toyohime heard the click of the call with her sister ending. She brought the phone away from her ear, and her hand away from where she had cupped her mouth. She put the device down next to herself, and then looked around the occupied shuttle she sat in. She was surrounded by guards.

They were both lunar rabbits and Lunarians. They were supposedly under her command, and had accompanied her to protect her from the 'rebels'. However, Toyohime knew that she had not asked for any kind of guard.

So it was brutally apparent that she was no longer the princess she was. She was only a former princess in an iron cage.

* * *

**Wow, that technology porn segment. I sincerely apologize if anyone was incredibly bored by that. I suppose I like it when sci-fi stories take a large amount of time to explain in detail a lot of the technology present. And I think it gives a good idea of what's going on with the Lunarians and where they are in terms of technology. Sorry this chapter came like a day late, by the way. I always try to keep it at most two weeks, if not less, between each chapter. **


	6. Unhappy Remembrances

Eientei was silent in the night. Especially on this night. Despite the minor commotion in certain places earlier, that noise had not travelled anywhere besides the few rooms beside those locations.

Most of the earth rabbits were asleep, in bed, or going to bed. It would only be a matter of time before the only sound in Eientei was the hushed, gentle breathing of the sleepers within the great mansion.

However, something told Eirin that there would be more noises for a long time before that point. She had yet to speak with Tewi, and check on Reisen. It had been obvious to the doctor that Reisen was not in good condition, judging from the brutal killing of Mokou.

_She won't hurt Tewi. She likes that little rabbit, no matter how much the two mess with each other. But herself, I am not so sure of. _

Yukari and Eirin's meeting had gone unobserved, and Eirin preferred it that way. Having another earth rabbit, even Tewi, overhear such a talk would have been disastrous. _And if Reisen had heard the more important parts…then I would never hear the end of her hatred for me. _

The doctor strolled through the silent, pitch black halls of the mansion, heading towards the room she knew to be Reisen's. _Tewi would have brought her here, _Eirin knew, _and of course with the help of the other rabbits. _There was no way the small earth bunny could carry someone twice her height all the way through the complex corridors of Eientei.

Sliding the wooden door open, Eirin looked into the room. Reisen was lying there, covered by blankets. She was restless, constantly turning over and over in the half-sleep she was caught in. She whispered garbled phrases, incomprehensible to Eirin, until she picked out a few key words that revealed the origin.

_Archaic Kijitasiseine? _Eirin wondered, then corrected, _no, that's even older. It's not even studied anywhere today. That…that has to be one of the Original Dialects! _It was impossible. Reisen was no student of ancient lunar history. Yet she was forming sentences in one of the first dialects ever created by the Lunarian race.

_That's impossible, _Eirin thought, _unless…those clever bastards. _She looked to Tewi. The young rabbit was on the floor next to Reisen. She was sleeping, however. Lying on her side, the peaceful breaths of the still rabbit sharply contrasted the wild breaths of the twisting and turning rabbit beside her.

Eirin considered waking her, but did not. Leaving her here, in Reisen's room, would only improve relations between the two. _It would also bring Reisen a step closer to just admitting some things. _The doctor then went to the opposite side of Reisen from Tewi.

She knelt down, and checked on Reisen's face more closely. She was still suffering from intoxication, and that did not surprise Eirin. The doctor had checked on the room where Tewi had been drinking with Reisen. She had seen the many bottles of sake which had been consumed during the course of that drinking.

She got closer to Reisen's body, just wanting to ensure the safety of the rabbit. Then, without warning, the rabbit's arm shot forwards. Her left hand wrapped around Eirin's throat. Reisen threw her entire body behind this lunge, pushing Eirin backwards as her right hand clamped down on Eirin's throat.

The doctor's head was slammed against the floor. Reisen clamped down, cutting off Eirin's breathing as she slammed the woman's head against the ground again and again.

Eirin would have fought back, but she did not need to worry, and she needed to gather data. She had to observe Reisen in this moment, when she was releasing whatever was inside her. Eirin did not have to worry about dying from being choked or getting her skull bashed in, being as tough to kill as any youkai.

She looked up at Reisen's face, particularly her eyes, as she continued her vicious assault. The eyes were wild, fierce. And what's more is that they were staring right at Eirin's. It was a natural thing to do, but the important part is that she was trying to use her ability.

Eirin was not about to be driven insane by the gaze of a rabbit, but the look did make her feel strange. It stirred her stomach, arousing a strange feeling deep in her…mind. _She's strong, _Eirin thought, _I haven't been affected by anything a rabbit can throw out for thousands of years. _

_So I am looking at some kind of PTSD. Incredibly bad. _Reisen was still saying things in one of the Original Dialects, although Eirin could not pinpoint the exact source. _She's saying the same thing as before. Take the pronunciation, update it, and roughly translate the words…it's her military identification…_

The words sounded like gibberish at first to Eirin because that is what they would sound like to a modern Lunarian. To humans, it would sound like she was completely mad.

_The perfect language for the Black Ops Division to use, is it not? _Eirin thought. _I must admit that whoever came up with the idea was both smart, and well-versed in ancient languages. _

The Lunarian race had developed a countless number of various dialects over the course of its existence. Modern Lunarian had about half a dozen different dialects, and about a dozen written versions, ranging from hieroglyphs to fully-formed alphabets. Few had theories as to how this occurred, but presumably it was due to the long lifespans of the creatures.

Long lifespans and stability meant people had plenty of time to do things. And a new and innovative way to communicate was a common thing to search for.

And the Original Dialects were like few of those. They sounded like gibberish. They looked like gibberish. To those who did not know languages from even five thousand years before, it would sound like the speaker was trying to summon daemons. Not because the language sounded like that naturally, it was because that few actually knew the general sound of the Original Dialects.

_So she was in Black Ops. That I already had figured. This confirms it. It also explains how she got that ship she flew down here in. She obviously did some terrible things, and I have some ideas as to what things she was personally responsible for. _

_She's suffering from extreme PTSD, and probably many other mental illnesses brought one by the training she went through and the crimes she committed. I won't blame her for the crimes, she thought she was serving her race. I can't blame her for what she's doing right now, either. She's scared to death. The mere thought of going back to her old life terrifies her. Explains her devotion to Kaguya. _

Eirin's fist shot outwards from where it was by her sides. Reisen was thrown off of Eirin. Her hands were torn away from the doctor's throat. She landed on her back right in front of Eirin. The punch was well-calculated. Her head barely avoided landing atop Tewi, however, and the rabbit was woken by this sudden disturbance.

The thump of the rabbit's body on the hardwood floor shook Tewi from her slumber, and immediately jumped to her feet, glancing around wildly before focusing on Reisen.

Eirin stood up slowly, wiping the blood off of the back of her head. Her skull was tough, being the skull of one of the oldest Lunarians. She had only suffered some minor wounds, and she would not have died even if Reisen had mashed her skull into little bits.

She looked at Tewi, and said, "Don't worry. She attacked me in her sleep. She should be fine. Fetch me something to calm her down, will you?"

The earth rabbit looked down at Reisen one more time, before running out of the room. She ran faster than Eirin usually saw the rabbit run. _She really does care about Reisen. _

Kneeling down in front of Reisen, Eirin first checked to see that the rabbit was still breathing. The punch had been directed at the stomach, so the doctor would not be surprised if something was thrown up by the girl.

As she knelt down, Eirin noticed the girl was not moving. _I guess she's still drunk, but I expected more from a crazed Black Ops soldier. _As if to correct Eirin, Reisen moved as soon as Eirin was well within striking range.

A savage right hook hit Eirin in the face. An uppercut from the left fist of the rabbit knocked Eirin's head upwards as it was already turning to the side. Then, she sunk her right fist into the doctor's stomach. Her left hand was flattened out into a spear shape, and she jabbed the tips of her fingers into Eirin's throat.

Her right hand followed this strike. The fingers were turned inwards to face the thumb, and the pace between the thumb and the pointer finger hit Eirin in the throat. The set-up allowed for the throat to be grabbed. She clamped down hard, but pulled back as she did so, dragging Eirin's face into a left straight punch.

Reisen found traction on the ground with her feet, standing up. She used her left hand to grab the doctor's hair, as well as her grip on her throat to pull her upwards. Then, she yanked her hand away from her throat as she pulled Eirin down into a rising knee. This caused Eirin to fall down to her knees.

Reisen then kicked out with her right leg, as it was still in the air. The toes of her bare foot hit Eirin in the throat. She then stomped her right leg down to throw a left roundhouse kick with which she bashed Eirin in the head. Her shin knocked the doctor down on her side.

Reisen's stance had been changed as she had put all her force into the left kick. She used this change of stance to easily hop over Eirin's body. Before she had even restrained the woman, Reisen's right fist was slamming into her face.

The lunar rabbit then grabbed Eirin's right arm and moved her onto her left side. She then knelt on the space below her armpit, while holding her arm straight upwards with both hands. One hand was facing forwards on the upper arm, while the other was on the forearm facing backwards. Pushing with both her hands would break the arm.

However, she did nothing for the moment. Reisen, eyes still filled with a dozen different emotions, looked down at the woman she thought to be her enemy. "Where am I?!" she screamed, her voice filled with hate, anger, fury, fear, despair, regret, and so much more. "What were you doing to me?!"

Reisen then blinked. She blinked again. She kept blinking, as if she was suddenly thinking she was in a dream. Suddenly, the rabbit released her grip on Eirin's arms. She pushed the woman back onto her back, and screamed.

She screamed out of terror. Out of terror at what she had done to her mentor. To the person who had taken her in after she gave no reason. Reisen looked at the slightly bloodied face of Eirin, whose eyes still moved slightly.

"Lady Yagokoro," Reisen whispered in shock. There was the pitter-patter of small feet in the hall. Reisen looked to Tewi rush back into the room with multiple syringes. She also carried several small bottles of pills with her small arms.

"Reisen…" she said, equally in shock. She started to back away, but a voice stopped her.

"Wait, Tewi," Eirin said, "Reisen's fine,"

Reisen's eyes widened as she realized Eirin was still awake. She had hoped to simply run off while the doctor was asleep, but now that she was awake, she would have no choice but to face punishment here and now.

She immediately fell backwards, pushing herself away on the floor. She was about three feet from Eirin when she switched to her knees. She scrambled fast, fast than a mouse running from a cat.

She let her forehead touch the ground, choosing to say nothing. She knew that Eirin had her life in her hands. Yet she was not doing anything. She could hear movement in front of her, but did not dare to look up.

"Why are you kneeling?" Eirin asked.

"I am begging you to forgive me, Lady Yagokoro," Reisen said, her voice humble and filled with shame. Right behind that was the sound of all the other emotions bottled inside her, yet she refused to release. _Addressing me like her superior almost…is she acting like she's still in Black Ops. That's not good. If her memories are going back, then how long until she remembers far worse things than just her superiors? _

"Forgive you for what? For releasing emotions you suppressed out of fear of being called mad, and being sent back to the place where you came from?" Eirin asked. She was calm. She knew that Reisen was acting strange, but given what the rabbit was suffering from, Eirin couldn't just straight up tell the girl what was going on. She had to ease her out of her current state, lest she be triggered even further than before.

"Forgive me for assaulting you, when you were only trying to assist me," Reisen said, "Please, have mercy,"

"What can I do to you that has not already been done? Besides kill you, or send you back, there is nothing that I can do to harm you."

"Then I suppose death is not a fitting punishment," Reisen had already been furiously crying when she was assaulting Eirin, but now, those tears took on a new meaning, as she thought she was going to be sent back to her own personal hell. "Although I wish it was,"

Eirin put a hand on Reisen's hand. She softly petted the rabbit's hair, running her fingers slowly through the purple locks of the moon creature. "Why do you wish that?" she asked.

"I don't want to go back there," Reisen said. She was begging. Not begging for her life. She would still have a life if she went back. But it would not be a pleasant one.

"Then do not worry," Eirin ordered, "Because you are not going back there, not unless you want to," The doctor really was scared. Reisen's voice…there was a hint of something else amongst the fear and submission.

"Then what is my punishment?" Reisen's voice was filled with absolute terror. _She's suffered abuse in the past…from who? Black Ops, so she was trained well. Probably not brainwashed, but broken in quite effectively. _

Eirin put her hands on Reisen's sides, and pulled the rabbit upwards. Reisen was initially surprised, even scared, but relaxed as Eirin let the rabbit sit on her lap. Eirin's hands shook gently, not out of fear for her own safety, but her knowledge that if Reisen wanted to act against herself, then she could not be stopped.

"Punishment for being used by horrible people?" Eirin asked, "How can I punish you for that?" She whispered softly, before looking over Reisen's shoulder at the door. Tewi was still standing in the doorway, having the look of a deer caught in the headlights.

Eirin nodded for her to come over. Tewi put the supplies she was carrying on the ground, and then knelt down next to Reisen. Reisen was sitting so that she faced the door. Tewi came over and embraced the lunar rabbit.

"What are you doing?" the lunar rabbit asked, her eyes wide in shock.

"Showing you that we care about you," Tewi said, "Showing you that you aren't just a servant who is only here because you're useful."

"But that is why I am here?" Reisen asked, "You have no other reason to harbor a traitor like me,"

"Where would you go otherwise?" Eirin asked, "Go somewhere else in Gensokyo? The outside?"

"I would find some little hole," Reisen said.

Eirin smiled. "I don't want to ever see you living in a little hole, or even a big one." Tewi chuckled at this.

"Don't worry, Reisen, I'm not going to do anything to you."

"But I assaulted you, when you tried to help me,"

Eirin was still petting Reisen's hair. She softly stroked her fingers through the girl's hair, still holding her arms tight around her. "You are suffering from an extreme form of PTSD, due to your service in the Lunarian Defence Corps Black Operations Division. There is a chance that you may never be cured of this illness, but there is also a chance that you will be."

"So you have a choice," Eirin said, "Let me try, or run away." It was a gambit. Eirin knew that telling the truth now might trigger some bad memories. If it didn't, then the issue was that much closer to being resolved.

If it did trigger her…Eirin looked at the syringes on the floor right next to Reisen. _Well, it wouldn't be too hard to bring her back, would it? _

Nothing more was said by the doctor. Tewi said nothing as well. There was nothing for Reisen to say. That was what she felt, at least. Reisen closed her eyes, thinking. _I can run away, _Reisen told herself, _I should run away. I have access to weapons that can kill. Eirin may be safe, but Tewi, the other rabbits…they'd be gunned down if I lost it and got a hold on one. _

_I'm a murderer…a murderer. _In the space of a few seconds, a series of images passed through her mind. Images deeply repressed by the trauma she had. Now they flowed back through her mind, the faces. The names. The deaths. Of every person she had killed. _I could kill everyone in Gensokyo…_Reisen's eyes became more tightly closed as the train of thought she followed went into a darker and darker place. _It has to end. _

Reisen's eyes opened. She looked at the syringes which were near the door. She could get a hold of one. It could easily penetrate her eyeball, and then her brain as well. It would not be too difficult to get it and end her sad, sorry life.

_I have to do it, _Reisen told herself, steeling her mind for the end that was about to come, _I have to. _The rabbit looked at Eirin, and smiled. Eirin smiled back. For a moment, Reisen reconsidered. Then there was only the sound of her left fist going across her body to strike Eirin's face. Her elbow hit her again, for good measure.

Reisen rolled forwards, grabbing Tewi as she did so. The smaller rabbit was embracing her around the chest, so she prevented Reisen from rolling as far as she wanted. However, Reisen fixed this issue by striking down at the space below her stomach. Tewi was hit in the back of the head, and lost her grip for a second.

In the next second, Reisen had needles in her grasp. She had taken six. Three in between the fingers of each hand. Three were for her eyes, and the other three were for her throat.

She was about to stab. The tips were millimeters away from entering her body, from ending her life for good. Tewi was the only one in position to stop her. The small rabbit was about to stop Reisen from committing suicide.

She failed. Blood spurted out of the lunar rabbit's throat in three different places. Both her eyes were penetrated, while the last needle jabbed a bit into her nose. Within a second, she was dead, her brain pierced, and her throat cut for good measure.

Reisen was then hit by Tewi, who only succeeded in getting blood on herself, and knocking the dead body to the floor. Without words, she stared at the girl beneath her.

Eirin had nothing to say. Tewi knew not what to say. And Reisen…would not speak again…

For a time.

* * *

The morning was late when the shuttle carrying the Princess Kaguya returned to its place of origin. The long vessel touched down softly, smoothly decelerating from a speed of hundreds of kilometers per hour to land in the largest of the many courtyards of the massive mansion.

It was a single landing pad, off to the side of the entrance, and connecting perfectly to the walkway along the side of the building. The walkway lead down to the garden beyond, which might as well have been called a field for its size.

Kaguya stepped off the shuttle first, her five objects floating around her as she did not feel like trusting anyone with them, to see two people waiting for her. They were not escorted, there not being a need for such escorts in a place like this. The forward-most of the two was the Princess Kagome. A smile was on her face as she bowed lightly to her fellow princess.

She wore glasses over her bright blue eyes, and blonde hair framed her face, running along the tops of her eyes and then all the way down to her waist. It was not nearly as neat as Kaguya's proper hime cut, but it was comparable, although shorter in length as well. Two red hairpins were near the back of her head, both fashioned in the shape of a pair of red beads, simply as decoration, and serving no purpose in adjusting the girl's hair.

A blue light capelet covered all her neck and extended down to her elbows. She had white sleeves, fitting to her arms, but not skin-tight, with blue trim at the cuffs. Her hands were uncovered. Underneath the capelet, she wore a blue jacket, sleeveless, as the white sleeves were part of a tighter blouse she wore under the jacket. Gold-colored, not actually gold, buttons went up and down the middle of the jacket.

She wore a blue skirt, with white trim near the bottom. Red dress shoes covered her feet. They were not fancy shoes, and Kaguya had to say that they were the least striking part of the outfit. She then noticed that the princess wore a cape as well, mostly covered by her long hair. It went to the back of her knees, and the back of it, facing Kaguya, had a starry background, while an edge of the rear seemed to imply a light blue color for the part of the cape that most people would see, were it not for the princess's long hair. The tie of the cape could be seen near her neck, a pair of beads hanging down from the knot.

Kaguya bowed in return, before she turned her eyes to the person beside the princess. It was a girl, and she bowed as Kaguya's eyes went to her. She seemed bright and happy, but also reserved. Kaguya could see the quiet light of an intelligent thinker behind the cheery demeanour the girl wore, as well as her outfit and hair.

Her hair was mostly silver, save for the ends. The ends of her various strands of hair were tinted green. Brighter near the end, and less and less as the strand went back, till the point that the hair was silver. It was strange, such a combination of colors, but Kaguya thought it worked. The girl wore a large ribbon on the back of her head. It was tied in her hair, and was a light shade of violet. The circular parts went away from the girl's head, being wider than it, and the strands of the bow stretched down to her feet, but did not touch the ground.

She wore a capelet as well, but it was dark blue, with wavy white lines making their way through the material, more than with the one that Yui wore. A red ribbon was tied around her neck, the ends reaching down past her chest. She wore a sleeved dress, with the sleeves being light blue, and the torso piece being the same shade of dark blue as the capelet. The dress piece was the same color as the jacket and capelet. Dark pink high heels were mostly covered by the long dress, which went down to the ankles.

Kaguya turned her attention back to Yui, whose smile had become more neutral, but was still something of a grin. Kaguya could still see the face of the careful and clever girl she once knew. _No, not once, _the princess corrected herself, _it seems that I may still know her. _

"Hello, Kaguya," Yui said, knowing that she could use the princess's first name, "Did you have an enjoyable flight?"

Kaguya nodded, then smiled a little herself, "Were it not for the depressing history lesson, I would have had to compliment the service," she said, "But alas, I had to learn at some point,"

Yui chuckled at this, "Well, I hope that the rest of your visit shall be at least somewhat bearable," she turned to look at the girl beside her, "This is Serafima Apollinariya, my Chief Political Advisor, and general handler of things not immediately related to my security and my forces,"

Kaguya took a liking to the long and strange name, immediately identifying the girl, as well as Eleonore, as being from the Okiltunviic group. It was not strange to find the two distinct groups mixing, it happened all the time. The name wasn't really too strange, it was just a kind of name Kaguya hadn't heard in a long time. _Was it too long, though? _

Eleonore came out behind Kaguya, and took a place beside Yui. She was on the other side from Serafima, but was the same distance away. "And I know you have met Eleonore," Yui said, explaining, "She handled everything related to my security, as well as any military matters,"

Kaguya looked the supposedly blind girl over once more. She knew that she was hiding the reason for her blindness because it was something that should not be revealed till the time was right. Kaguya had many theories, but there was a particular thing that stood out to her.

Serafima had not completely described herself, but Kaguya could tell that she was special in some way. If Eleonore was, then it would only make sense that the other one of Yui's two advisors would have some special quality to them. She was keeping it well hidden, but Kaguya knew she could easily find it once she had the time to question her, whether it was lone or simply at some quiet point in the day.

"What are we to do first?" Kaguya asked.

Yui chuckled at this, as the guards who had been on the shuttle with Kaguya made their way out of the craft and went their way, "No need to rush," she said, "The Purists are doing their best to delay us so that they can figure out our plan. The next senate meeting, with any luck at least, will be tonight. You have a few hours to relax."

Kaguya had been tense. But at this, she calmed a little. She looked around the shaded courtyard, taking in the magnificent sight of the trees curling around the walls and over the open space, and realized how much she had missed this place.

"That will be alright…" Kaguya's voice trailed off as she made the declaration, but she then asked suddenly, "What is your plan for the senate meeting?"

Yui waved her finger in disapproval, "Nope, not now," she said playfully, "Wait till dinner time, then we can talk about plans,"

Kaguya shrugged, then asked, "My room?"

"I'll show you," Yui replied, turning around and walking down the walkway. Eleonore and Serafima turned on their heels to follow her, and they remained close behind the princess as she moved. Kaguya walked ahead of the two, who allowed her to do so, knowing that she would not harm the person they followed.

She glanced to the side, looking out at the garden. It was filled with lunar rabbits, who were training with wooden rifles. They were being drilled by mostly older rabbits, but a few Lunarians were teaching as well.

Kaguya sighed as she saw this, before Yui spoke, "Unfortunately, the situation calls for an increase in security, as well as my own army. I wish it were different, but with the Purists pushing war more and more, I could come under attack from anyone at any time."

She sighed as she shook her head, "However, I know these little ones would only serve as less than cannon fodder if a Black Ops team were to come for me…" Her voice trailed off, and Kaguya understood the pain she was feeling at the moment.

The four continued to walk, but the mood had darkened a little. Somehow, the sunshine coming in through the branches was a bit less bright all of a sudden, and Kaguya could not help but feel sad. _We've fallen far, even from the time I was banished. _One thousand years was about a fifth of the average Lunarian's lifespan, but due to the nature of the race, not much happened over the course of such a period of time.

In these last thousand years, however, much had changed.

There was the sound of running. Footsteps pounding rapidly against the wood of the walkway. A lunar rabbit came running around the corner. Her long blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail, flew out wildly behind her as she sprinted. A blue vest was on her torso, over a plan white coat, the sleeves of which covered her arms. A red bow was tied round the neck of the vest, and the red matched the colour of her skirt, which also had a white trim. The skirt reached down to her knees, and the rest of her legs were covered by long black leggings. Black combat boots, reaching halfway up her shins, were what covered her feet.

Panic was on her face, and she quickly snapped to attention and threw a salute to Yui as soon as she saw her. She practically ignored Kaguya, but given the urgency of her movements, Kaguya could tell she had something very important to say. The princess would not even have minded anyways, not even if she was coming only to tell Yui that her snack was ready.

"Princess!" she shouted, before calming her voice in the split second before she spoke again, "General Toyohime is requesting a visit, she says she must speak with the Princess Kaguya!"

"Not princess," Kaguya interrupted, hammering the fact into her mind. The title was no longer hers, not since she refused to return to the Moon at least.

Yui nodded, "She's alone?"

"Save for her escorts, yes she is alone," the rabbit confirmed.

Yui turned to look at Kaguya, "Should we?" she asked.

"I see no reason as to why not," Kaguya said, "It would be best for me to accept all visits and invitations at first. They would not dare kill me before I have done anything, it would be too obvious that the purists did it. If I refuse them, then I'll only look bad. I have nothing to lose by seeing her now."

Yui looked back at the lunar rabbit, "Allow her to land," she ordered, and the rabbit lifted up her arm, and spoke into a communication device on her wrist. Yui then started to walk forwards as the rabbit started to head towards the pad Toyohime was directed towards, "This is Minato," Yui said, "Head of just this mansion's security force."

The five now turned the corner, and to the left, in the garden space in that direction, was another landing pad for a shuttle craft. Kaguya could spot the slender dart that was Toyohime's craft as it approached. It landed as Kaguya and Yui walked down the wooden way to the pad.

It touched down softly, and the door opened almost immediately. Kaguya and Yui were standing side by side, waiting for the one who was once one of their fellows to leave the craft.

The blonde-haired woman put her feet on the ground, before she bowed deeply to the two princesses. It was degrading for her, Kaguya noticed as she saw the shame the girl felt with every movement she made. "Please stand up," Kaguya said, "You shouldn't be bowing to me,"

Toyohime stood, and an almost automatic response came out of her mouth, "Yes, your-Ms. Houraisan." Her stance was shaky, the fan she held in her right hand shaking as her arm did.

Kaguya frowned, "Do not call me a princess,"

There was a long silence as the girl thought about that. Eventually, Toyohime replied, "Yes, Ms. Houraisan," she still spoke with the utmost respect.

There was a pause, and with neither Yui nor Kaguya speaking, Toyohime apologized. "I'm sorry," she said, "It is a habit that I tried to ingrain into my mind very quickly." There was regret in that voice.

"Would you like to come in for some tea?" Yui asked. Toyohime shook her head.

"I don't have time," she said, "This is a short visit,"

_That means this is unofficial, _Kaguya thought, _which is good that she has gotten to us herself before she has been ordered to get to us. _"Then what have you come to say?"

"I…Yorihime and I just talked, I assume you know our situation?"

Kaguya nodded. "Then I have come to tell you our view on you and whatever you do," Toyohime said, before taking a short breath and continuing, "We will stay neutral in the conflict that cannot help but soon begin, as look it is clear that you are not allowing your time on the Earth to affect your judgement."

"And if I am being clouded?" the question surprised Toyohime.

The former princess had seemed ready to leave. She froze, but managed to reply quickly, but with a threatening tone, "If you do, then we will speak out against you. We may personally have no direct power anymore, but the people still respect us. If we speak out against you, then you will lose a massive amount of support. And if we support the purists…" her voice trailed off, but she did finish, "You understand the situation that we could cause?"

Kaguya nodded, "I do," she confirmed. Toyohime nodded, before turning around to walk back into the shuttle.

She was stopped by four words from Kaguya. The words pierced the silence that was only being broken by the light steps of Toyohime. "I don't hate you," Kaguya said quietly, barely loud enough for Toyohime to hear.

The blonde-haired girl froze, head barely turning back over her shoulder. The hint of a smile flashed across her face for a brief second, but it disappeared soon. "Toyohime, it was over a thousand years ago now. You did the right thing back then. Please just let it go."

Toyohime wanted to say something back. That much was clear, but she did not know how to reply. Kaguya smiled, attempting to entice a reply. "I should go," was all she received. With those three words, Toyohime hastily walked back into the shuttle.

Kaguya caught a glimpse back that was thrown by Toyohime, seeing it while the people around her did not. The shuttle took off shortly afterwards.

"Will she be an issue?" Yui asked, "Or her sister?"

"They won't be if we handle things well," Kaguya replied, "They are on the fence, between our side and the other side. They don't want to trust us because they don't understand our true motives, especially now that I am here. They don't want to trust the purists because of what the purists did to them. But they will go after me, simply to try and wipe away the guilt they feel."

Yui nodded, "So we try to appease them?"

"We treat the other side with respect and calmness, yes," Kaguya said. She turned to look at Yui, her gaze and voice both gaining a higher level of seriousness, "Cancel any plans of espionage, spying, anything that is under the radar and could be considered dirty or dishonorable. Wipe any ideas of such things from your mind. If we do something, we do it in the open or we don't do it at all. We will expose as much of our plan as possible. We must show the Watatsuki sisters that we understand their fears."

"They don't wield that much political power," Yui said, not quite understanding, "They are no reason to change everything."

"You told me that there is a chance of civil war," Kaguya replied, "The army trusts both sisters very deeply. If things come to violence, and both are firmly on our side, then we shall have a great advantage."

Yui nodded, "I would prefer that war does not begin,"

"I would as well, but we must prepare for everything," Kaguya walked past Yui as she spoke, "Let's continue, we don't have much time, and I need to rest,"

Yui was soon walking alongside her again as the other three women followed behind the two. They entered into the mansion itself, and Kaguya felt right at home in the massive halls of the building. She was led to a grand pair of doors, still on the first floor.

The doors themselves reached up ten feet, and Kaguya knew that she was not about to enter into a single room on this floor alone. Yui handed her the keys to the doors, and Kaguya opened them up. As she walked into the entrance hall of her apartments she was already impressed by the size of the mansion.

"Your quarters stretch all the way up to the fifth floor," Yui said, "There is a full kitchen inside, and there are rooms for servants, but I was unsure of whether or not you would want any. The planning meeting is in six hours, the senate meeting is in nine."

Kaguya nodded as she stood in the middle of the large space that was the entrance hall, and asked, "Do send some, please." She could handle herself, but she knew that asking for servants would make it look like she had not lost any of her royal nature to the impurity of the Earth.

"I shall send our very best," Yui promised, "Call anyone of us if you need anything, Kaguya, but I shall leave you alone now,"

Kaguya nodded, "I'll go get some rest, I…I did not sleep well,"

"Do not worry, there is time," Yui said, before turning around towards the door and waving her servants out of the room, "I shall see you later then, rest well,"

"Goodbye," Kaguya called back, before she turned her attention back to the hall around her. A deep breath was taken, before she followed the path that had already been learned from years of staying in these apartments before her banishment.

She found the massive bedroom easily. She just fell down into the bed, too tired to think about anything else. Her hair fell over her face, and her large robes spread out on the bed. Her five objects had been placed on the large nightstand next to the bed that was large enough for five people to rest side by side on it.

Eventually, Kaguya found the energy to pull the blankets out from under and then over herself. She closed her eyes, and soon found herself slipping away. It had been a long time since she had slept in a bed so incredibly elaborate.

And while Kaguya would have preferred to not miss the Moon, she found that she was missing it. That she had been missing it. She let herself sleep, not wanting her confused thoughts to keep her awake.

* * *

**Not sure if you've heard, but Touhou 15 has been announced. And since it's called Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom, and Reisen is playable, I'm thinking that it's gonna be about the Moon. And if it is, then i shall do my best to adapt any canon established in it to this story. I never really wanted to go straight into canon defilement territory, but if it does, then I'm not going to stop. This thing is still pretty long, so I won't give up for such a reason. **

**If it's not obvious, then Reisen isn't gone for good. The intention was more to establish that there are some really bad people on the Moon. I'm pretty sure she's back next chapter, and if not then the chapter after that. **


	7. Friends, Old and New

**I'll discuss LLK at the bottom.**

* * *

She was woken by the soft voice of a girl she did not recognize. Softly, the girl called, "Princess? You must wake, your highness." The voice was close to Kaguya, and the princess's eyes fluttered open and looked around to find the speaker.

A young girl was standing there. She was dressed in the typical outfit of a maid, the clothes even having the same colors as the kind of clothes one might find on Earth. It almost made Kaguya laugh as she realized how similar the two planets were, despite how separate they were in many ways.

Her hands were clasped behind her back as she stood unsteady, close to the bed. Her blonde hair was tied in a bun behind her head, while her blues eyes stood out amongst her white skin.

"I'm awake," Kaguya said, as the maid opened her mouth to call out once more. She was about three feet from Kaguya's bed, but backed away as the princes sat up. Kaguya rubbed her eyes, and looked to the clock next to the bed. It had been about five hours since she had gotten into bed and fallen asleep.

"We figured that you may be hungry, or wish to have some time before leaving, but we will leave you alone if that is what you desire, your highness," the maid spoke respectfully, careful to not meet the princess's gaze. In fact, the girl was bowing her head a little just to ensure.

"Did Yui teach you nothing about respect when it comes to me?" Kaguya sighed as she swung her legs out over the side of the bed and took a deep breath.

A look of fear came across the maid's face. She got to her knees, bowing down low. "What did I do, your highness?" she asked, trembling, but managing to at least hold herself there.

"Stop bowing to me," Kaguya said, "I'm no princess. I'm an exile, technically lower than you are."

The maid showed loyalty and ability to follow orders by simply standing up right there, as opposed to complaining and questioning the orders she was given. "I know Yui told you to follow my orders, but you cannot refer to me a anything other than Kaguya, or Miss Houraisan, understand?"

She cast her gaze right at the face of the girl, and while the girl was immediately inclined to look away, she managed to force herself to look right into Kaguya's eyes. The princess was smiling, putting on a happy demeanor as she stepped out of the bed and onto the floor, her shoes still on her feet.

Kaguya walked over to her. The two were about the same height, but Kaguya could tell that the maid was about three thousand or so years younger than her.

She kept the smile on her face as she approached, before she rested a hand on the shoulder of the maid. The girl had no idea how to react, simply freezing up entirely where she stood. "Come on," Kaguya said, "You all were smart, I suppose I would prefer to be able to wake up before heading off to that den of idiots known as the senate,"

The maid said nothing, simply attempting to smile in return. "How old are you?" the princess asked, as the girl in front of her slowly attempted to back away.

"Five hundred and two," the girl replied, "I used to work as a vendor with my parents in the Market District of the capital, her highness Kagome took a liking to me, and hired me. She was just traveling around with those two servants one day. I…I'm not really sure why she liked me, but it felt strange."

"Do you miss that old life?" Kaguya asked. She ignored the latter part of the comment, at least she made it seem like she ignored it. _Yui…she knows how to deal with people…what did she see in this one? _

"No," the response was far too quick to be entirely true.

"Be serious, I am not going to tell Yui anything that could get you in trouble," Kaguya spoke as calmly as possible, hoping to capitalize on the fact that the girl could treat her as a mother figure, due to their massive age difference.

"I could not have turned her highness down, she is a princess after all. The pay is high, and my parents have never been better off…but I still miss home, sometimes."

"Well as of right now, you are serving me," Kaguya decided, "Yui will give me almost anything I want, so you are now my maid. What's your name?"

"Aksinya Taisiya," the girl replied. _Okiltunviic then, _Kaguya thought, _she's loyal, especially because she wants a better master. I'll test her skills, then we'll see how truly useful she is. _

"Come on then, Aksinya," Kaguya said, "Let's go meet the others."

Kaguya then led the way out of the room, with Aksinya meekly following her. The two travelled down to the second floor, which held both the dining room and the kitchen. "How many other maids?" Kaguya asked as she led the way down the stairs to the second floor.

"Excluding myself, there are five others," _Dropped the your highness that quickly, huh? She's good. Hard to drop a habit like that. _Kaguya used to go around kowtowing. It was a distant image in her mind, from a few thousand years ago.

She turned around, heading back down the stairs, to find another maid waiting at the bottom. This girl had long black hair, running down to the middle of her upper arms. It waved a little as it went down, not being combed straight.

Her green eyes opened wide as she saw Kaguya coming down, her mouth opened, certainly to say something in which she would start groveling to Kaguya. But from behind and above Kaguya. Aksinya brought her hand across her throat in a universal sign, and the new girl shut up.

Kaguya knew that Aksinya thought she would not be noticed, but the princess knew that something had to have transpired to prevent the new maid from speaking. She did not call out Aksinya, as the girl was doing her job of assisting the princess. "No bowing," Kaguya instructed the dark-haired maid as she reached the bottom of the stairs, "Don't call me your highness in every single sentence, I'm not a princess. I'm not a noble."

The girl's eyes went even wider as Kaguya walked right up to her, "What's your name?"

"Sabina Katyle," the maid replied quickly, before Kaguya looked into her eyes. Sabina met her gaze without flinching, but the surprise was still on her face.

"Good," Kaguya decided before walking on towards the kitchen. With Aksinya and Sabina now both following her, she walked into the dining room. The large table was big enough to sit a dozen people with plenty of room, and there was a maid who was walking through the room was Kaguya came in.

Her brown-reddish hair fell from the back of her head in a ponytail. The tail was long, and the color of her hair matched the demeanor on her face. She seemed stern and cold at first, but she smiled as Kaguya approached, and the princess saw that it was just the natural look of her face.

The girl was about to bow when Kaguya shook her head. "I'll explain rules when all of you are in one room. Name?"

Her accent was different from those had by Aksinya and Sabina, sounding somewhat new to Kaguya. "Janessa Lindon," the girl replied.

_Rather Earth-like name. I guess mine is. Plenty of us have Earthlike names. But that's one of the most I've heard. _

Kaguya entered the kitchen, and found the other three maids all located in there. One had light skin with dark blue hair, which fell straight down around her face. It reached down to her waist, _not unlike Tenshi's hair_, Kaguya thought, _but more straightened and combed, like a hime cut for someone who can't afford to have too much hair weighing them down. _

She was currently observing a pot on the stove, and did not see Kaguya when she came in. Another maid was just opening the refrigerator, so was facing away from the princess. This girl had mildly dark skin, and her light green hair fell unevenly down to her elbows. It was not combed straight, nor was it as neat as the curves in Sabina's hair were.

The final maid was one that Kaguya recognized. She was carrying a plate of some food that Kaguya did not even bother to look at as soon as she saw the bearer. It was a girl who she recognized from a long time ago. The maid in question knew that she would be serving Kaguya, but it seemed that seeing her in person triggered a greater reaction.

The girl was clearly older and taller than all the others, and her bright blonde, almost golden, hair was the longest out of all of them. It went down a little past her hips, and was not combed straight like the blue-haired girl's, rather it was a more uneven arrangement of locks. Her bright skin seemed to get even lighter as she put what she was holding down and rushed to embrace Kaguya.

"K-K-Kaguya…" the girl whispered, as the princess embraced her back.

The other five girls were instantly torn away from everything else by this display of affection. "Hello Verena," Kaguya said with a smile on her face.

Verena Weiss broke away from Kaguya as the other two maids who had been in the kitchen when she entered rushed to show respect to the princess. "Stop!" Verena said sternly but softly, "Do not bow to the princess, do not call her by her title. She does not desire that."

Both girls immediately ceased their motions. "Names?" Kaguya asked.

The blue-haired girl said, "Yukiko Shizuka!" She snapped to attention as she said this, telling Kaguya she was ex-military.

The light-green haired one said softly, "Nalini Priaste," She stood with her hands behind her back, obviously in a more causal pose.

"The food is ready?" Kaguya asked. There were nods all around. "Is there enough for all of you?"

Verena replied, "Yes, there is, I assume you wish to eat with all of us." The response was a simple nod.

A few minutes passed, and soon Kaguya was sitting at the head of the dining room table, three maids to either side of her. They all sat with plates in front of them. Kaguya was suddenly reminded of how much she had honestly missed the extravagant food she got to eat on the moon.

Lunarians didn't actually eat real meat. The ability to synthesize the animal product had been figured out long ago, so they were not in danger of losing any purity by eating animals. Of course, they also had to attend to the maintenance entire ecosystem, with zero animals existing in the wake of ancient events. Most plants had evolved or been genetically modified to grow on their own, but some stubborn ones required maintenance.

Her plate consisted of a large steak, perfectly cooked to her liking by Verena. The rest was an assortment of vegetables, some of which were actually native to the Moon. Kaguya looked to Aksinya as she tasted those, immediately knowing that girl was going to stay.

"I would first like to explain the ground rules around here," Kaguya said, in between bites of food, "First of all, when in private, when it is only the seven of us, you may call me whatever you want. As long as you are not insulting me, then I don't really mind."

"Second of all, no bowing. I lost all my titles when I refused to return from the Earth. Technically, you all are higher than I am. Although I am Yui's guest, and you were ordered to serve me, I am not to be addressed as royalty. Miss Houraisan is fine, or just my first name if you want."

"Third of all, I do expect all of you to follow my orders. I like you all, so I'm going to get Yui to hand you all over permanently."

"Permanently?" Nalini asked, "So you will not be going back to the Earth?"

Kaguya froze, "I did not consider that…" she paused, before continuing, "I don't know how this will all end, but if I go back to the Earth, then I guess I would have to leave you all behind."

A silence descended over the table, only broken by Verena. "What was the Earth like?"

Kaguya did not know how to respond. So she asked, "Do you want my personal thoughts, or do you want the official story?"

"Give us the version that your personal attendants should hear," Verena said, and Kaguya smiled at the girl. _She hasn't changed in a thousand years, _Kaguya thought, thinking of how useful the girl had been as her own chief maid.

"I think that the Earth is one of the most beautiful things I have had the pleasure to experience. It was scary at first, very different. But over time, I learned to appreciate the massive diversity of life down there. It's a world where one cannot expect to be safe when they go outside. A bee might come by and sting them, or a spider might fatally bite them. Yet it is also a world of random beauty, where simply gazing outside might reveal a beautiful view of something that one had not thought to be possible." Kaguya ended her short speech by taking another piece of her steak.

The six maids reacted in various ways. Aksinya, being from post-invasion times, was absolutely astonished. Sabina was clearly from around the time of the invasion, and was surprised, even more so than Aksinya.

The other four were much more understanding. Many Lunarians had been content with the youkai before the invasion, and these four maids were no exception. Kaguya had been saddened to find that the vengeance of the Lunarians had killed many she once knew on the Earth when she was banished there.

"Don't worry, you two," Yukiko said, addressing her comment to the two girls who were surprised, "The Earth and its inhabitants are no worse than us when we are roused to war."

Kaguya raised her eyebrows at the girl, who explained, "I was in the LSDF back when the invasions happened, and I have reenlisted several other times just because I enjoy the experience. The last time was three years ago, and that time I was dishonorably discharged for 'conduct unbecoming of a defender of the Moon and her purity,"

"Why were you truly discharged?"

"I did not become a paranoid freak after the first invasion, nor even the second 'invasion'. I am in the military, so I understand that the Earth can do nothing to us. We could wipe them all out in a single day, yet we are scared when a primitive craft touches the fake Moon. The higher-ups decided that I was not being fanatical enough in all my training, so I took the discharge and was picked up by Yui a few months later," Yukiko explained, the disgust evidence in her voice.

"Did Yui choose you all because you share similar beliefs to me?" Kaguya asked, as Yukiko ended her short talk. "Nalini? Janessa?"

Nalini was the first to reply, "I don't consider the Earth to be a horrific place, and if the Princess Kaguya is saying that it is a beautiful place and that the Moon is not as pure as we all think, then I think I would be inclined to believe her."

"I trust you," Janessa said to Kaguya, "But I am less inclined to so readily believe your view of the Earth. A thousand years has to change anyone's mind."

Kaguya nodded at both of these replies, before Sabina spoke. "My parents were maids of Yui's, and they worked for her for so long because they believed in her. But they died in the first invasion, so I can't say that I can like the Earth."

"Fair enough," Kaguya replied, before she looked at Aksinya. That girl was fazed by the stares of six other people, and she froze up and looked away from all of them.

"She fell for the popular beliefs, as her parents did so as well. She is rather embarrassed by this, as she has realized that she truly knows very little about the reality of the Earth," Venera explained, which got her a sharp glare from Aksinya.

Kaguya chuckled at the assortment of people in front of her. "Then I think we shall work very well together," she decided, "I guess I will have some people to vent all my opinions out on, as I think even Yui has her reservations about the purity of the Earth."

_They don't think the Earth is entirely pure, but they understand that the Moon suffers from its own issues, and they will listen to my words. _Kaguya thought, then decided, _we shall work just fine together. _

"So we are in agreement on the issue of the Earth and its place, then, at least to some extent?" she asked for assurance.

There were nods all around. "Then I think we have finished this issue, save for one thing." The princess took a deep breath, knowing that what she was about to say would not make her the most popular person for some people, but she knew that she had to do this, "I will be staying on the Moon for as long as it takes for this situation to be resolved. Even if it takes years, I shall stay here. I promise that to all of you."

Verena seemed to be the most touched by this, and Kaguya could not help but feel a touch of shame as that girl's face brightened. The princes put another piece of meat into her mouth, before she, speaking through her chewing, asked, "What do you all think of me as a leader, simply from experience or what you have heard?"

Verena spoke up first, "I am not fit to answer this question reasonably, Kaguya, you know me." The most loyal maid Kaguya had ever had would certainly not be a good assessment of the beliefs of the whole group.

Yukiko was next, showing the most bravery out of the whole group besides Verena. "I was alive when you were still here, and I cannot say that I blame you for the event surrounding your consumption of the Hourai Elixir. I cannot even call it a crime against anyone but yourself. You're the one who now has to live till the end of time."

Kaguya have a sad smile in response, not liking it when anyone brought up that unfortunate fact about her existence. But she could not criticize Yukiko, for she had asked the question.

"I don't think that your ways shall work any longer when it comes to the Senate. They no longer respect rational thought and long-lasting plans. They are impulsive, and more open to immediate changes, but only ones which support their goals," Nalini said, her voice drifting down the table like a soft breeze.

Kaguya nodded at this, "Thank you," she said, before her gaze fell up Janessa, expecting her to be the next to speak, but instead finding that Aksinya's voice reached her ears next.

"From what I have heard of you, you were once a great leader, but your foolishness brought you down." She frowned, "That's what my parents told me at least, but Princess Kagome has told me you are a great person, and now that I have met you, I am inclined to believe the latter."

Kaguya nodded, "I know that some of you may have reservations about me, so I promise that I will do my best to be as good as possible."

"I believe that you do not need to strive," Janessa said, "I was a former historian at the Royal Academy in the capital, fired by the Purists when I brought up the close relationship shared by the Moon and the Earth in past times. I spoke too loud, so they shot me down. I would have continued, but I guess that I felt that serving Princess Kagome would be better than getting actually shot down."

_She gives me my old maid, a soldier, and a historian. Nalini has some usefulness to be found, we'll see about Sabina, and if nothing else, Aksinya can cook. _Sabina was indeed the next person to speak, "Well, I too was knocked down by the purists. They like putting people down or seemingly no reason. I was simply a fashion designer, and when I refused to publically support them, I found myself somehow out of business. I hoped that I would be martyred, but I ended up being looked down upon, as they invented charges of fraud and lying. I know I don't seem very useful, but I have a good sense of what people like to see, so I suppose I could help with public relations? You'll find my name on a lot of clothing around here,"

_So Yui gave me a bunch of specialists who somehow ended up as maids. She was planning my arrival at least a year or so before it happened. Which means she's playing me. I'll keep that in mind. All their stories…they seem contrived. All of this happening near the same time…I get the feeling this was engineered. Maybe Yui has been planning my arrival for a long time, in which case she'd need to assemble a team for me, in which case…she would procure one…_

_One of these girls is certainly secretly working for her, so I'll have to watch out. _Kaguya decided, before she announced, "Alright, we're about done here, so we should prepare for my departure. "

She stood up with her plate, which was taken by Verena. The girl dutifully carried everyone else's dishes into the kitchen, assisted by Aksinya and Sabina. The others were already moving to start cleaning the dirty plates, glasses, and utensils, and Kaguya watched as they descended upon the piles of used dishes and cleaned them in roughly ten minutes.

During that time, the princess just stood by the table and watched, her mind deep in thought. She was in no particular hurry. She had always chuckled at what might be the greatest thing about being immortal. She did not need to worry about time like others did. Her end would come, but while even a Lunarian could count the days, Kaguya could not predict the end of everything.

She decided to test her new maids. She had some doubts about one thing, and wanted to ensure that they were up to standard. She raised her right hand, not observed by anyone, and started to focus a bit of energy around the tips of her fingers.

It glowed a little, before Kaguya aimed at Sabina, whose back was to Kaguya, and released the energy. It barely even made a noise, but the maid whipped around and raised her arm. All Lunarians were capable of some limited form of magic, and the energy grazed off the skin as Sabina deflected it. Her right hand was already moving to her leg, and in an instant, six maids had six handguns, the same kind that Kaguya had seen in the shuttle, pointed at the princess.

"Stand down," Verena ordered, seeing the smile on Kaguya's face. Even though the Lunarians prided themselves as being pure, the fact was that due to the fiercely competitive political system, the word maid had become a synonym for highly-trained killer and bodyguard.

Lunar Rabbits did not always serve as servants. For many lower-ranking Lunarians who had servants, rabbits were what they had. But as one moved up the social hierarchy, one would find more and more Lunarians functioning in that role. _And I guess Yui wanted to give me the best. _Despite all the freedoms on the Moon, rabbits were servants. Yui wouldn't have been able to find a team of rabbits who could fulfill all the roles, Kaguya knew that much easily.

The girls stood down as ordered, and in the next minute, they were finished putting the dishes away. Kaguya realized that she was still in the same garb she had been in when he left the Earth.

"Will this be appropriate?" she asked, remembering the intricacy of the clothing that Yui and her assistants had been wearing.

Sabina shrugged, "It may be here, but for the senate you will look like the fool made simple by the Earth that the Purists are trying to paint you as."

Kaguya raised her eyebrows. "I'll take that advice," she decided, after a second of thought, before waving for Sabina to follow. Then, she looked at Nalini, "How are you useful?" she asked, "Not to be blunt or anything,"

Nalini smiled, "Don't worry," she said, before explaining, "Language arts. I have studied almost every single language spoken on the Moon, save for the oldest ones, and that's because we have no record of them. I have also studied literature from all time periods."

Kaguya waved her finger, "Then I need you as well,"

"Why?"

"You understand language, then you understand culture. From what I'm hearing, things have changed in the past thousand years, so I need a crash course on what's different about the language, and therefore the culture." Nalini smiled as she heard this, and quickly ran to follow Kaguya and Sabina up the stairs.

"Verena,' Kaguya called back, "Tell Yui I'll be on my way as fast as I can. Ensure that they are all ready for me to arrive at the planning meeting."

Verena called her affirmation, before Kaguya reached the next floor and then turned up towards the next set of stairs. The princess and her attendants went to prepare for the debut that could either make or break her campaign.

* * *

Reisen lay in a soft white bed, one of the many hospital-like cots Eirin had in what was effectively the medical area, her area, of Eientei. Her soul was still wondering.

Eirin could easily revive the girl's body, but it would be pointless if the soul was not present. So she would have to wait until she had a reason to get Reisen back. The girl would not want to come for a long time, if ever. _Resurrecting her will only be harder as time goes on, _Eirin thought, _but hopefully we can do it before she becomes too lost. _

The doctor sat near the bed, watching the girl in silence. It was late at night, and Tewi had gone to sleep. She had wanted to stay up, but she had passed out beside Reisen. All the other rabbits were asleep.

Yet Eirin heard footsteps elsewhere in the mansion. The footsteps of a grown person. Some rabbits were larger than the others, as size mostly came down to personal preference for those things, but this was different.

Eirin stood, exiting the brightly-lit room and closing the door behind herself. She was in the dark now. There was no light anywhere else in Eientei. Eirin wandered the halls, having memorized the shape of them by now.

She reached an intersection and paused. She heard the footsteps close by. They now sounded like someone just bumbling around in the dark. Eirin turned to the right, "Hello, Mokou," she said in a neutral voice. Her own footsteps had been silent, resulting in the immortal crying out in fear.

"Eirin?!" she shouted, "What are you doing?!"

"I believe I have the right to have your answer to that question before I give my answer," Eirin said in a bored monotone, "But I imagine that you're trying to find Kaguya,"

Eirin turned around, starting to walk the way she had come. "Yes," Mokou said, moving to catch up with the doctor, "Where is she? Is she still off-limits?"

"She's not here," Eirin replied, "I could disguise the truth, but I suppose I'll just tell you."

"Where is she?!" Mokou demanded.

"Be more polite when speaking to an elder," Eirin scolded, before answering the question, "She had to go back to the Moon,"

Mokou froze, "They took her back?" she asked, "But…but I thought she didn't want to go back…I thought she, I thought she liked it here," Eirin could hear the tears already forming in Mokou's eyes.

"She went of her own free will," Eirin replied, "A serious situation requires her presence in order to resolve it,"

"What situation?!" Mokou cried, running forwards to catch up, "Why would she go back?!"

Eirin opened the door into the room where Reisen was, "The Moon is on the brink of civil war. She would prefer that such an event does not occur, and that the Earth is saved from harm."

"They want to destroy the Earth?" Mokou asked, "Aren't those just empty threats?"

"They are very real," Eirin replied, walking into the room as the immortal behind her froze once again upon seeing Reisen. "You don't need to worry. Kaguya should be back in a few months at the very least, and a few years at the most,"

"A few years?!" Mokou cried, "A few years up there?!" She pointed upwards at the sky, "With people she absolutely hates?!" She pointed to Reisen, "And what happened to her?!"

"She does not hate them, she simply dislikes their prejudices after having spent so much time on the Earth," Eirin corrected her, then said, "Reisen's dead. Suicide. She might be back, but only if she wants to come back."

"She killed herself?" Mokou asked.

"She killed many people when she worked for the Lunarians," Eirin explained, "Most of those people were humans who had no intention of harming the Lunarians, and did not even have any idea that Gensokyo or the Real Moon exist."

"She killed innocent people?" Mokou asked.

"She was effectively raised from childhood to serve in the Black Ops Division, and we can thank the Watatsuki sisters for getting her out of there," Eirin explained, "Were it not for them, Reisen would still be a murderer."

"But she's better off dead?" Mokou asked, terrified.

"She may be," Eirin said with a shrug, "You do understand that life exists after death?"

Mokou shook her head, "Whatever! I don't care about Reisen! Just tell me about Kaguya!"

"You care so much about that girl," Eirin commented, "How interesting,"

"Shut up!" Mokou said with a blush, "What is she doing there?!"

"She's trying to stop the civil war. She was once a very influential figure in the Lunarian Senate, and she was called back by an old friend to try and regain that position to use it to speak out against those who want to destroy the Earth," Eirin explained, "So she's basically going up against roughly sixty-five percent of the Lunarian government, as well as most of the noble and military populations,"

Mokou was worried for the girl now, and that worry was obvious on her face. "Will she be alright?"

"She's an immortal," was all Mokou received.

Mokou's hand shot out to grab Eirin's throat. She wrapped her fingers tight around the girl, choking the air out. "You don't understand," Mokou growled, "There are worse things than death for us immortals. I know because I have put her through such things, and she has put me through such things. You think that the Lunarians can't do worse than me?!"

Eirin raised her left arm and moved it as if she was swatting away a fly. Mokou's arms were knocked away from the girl's throat. Her hand grasped at the spot where her right arm had been slapped, she looked at the bright red mark Eirin's blow had left.

The power she had felt was immense, greater than any other slap she had felt. Then Eirin spoke, "Don't try me. We can have a peaceful conversation like civilized people."

"And why do you care so much about Kaguya?" Eirin asked, "You hate her, even if she's going to be brutally tortured, won't you be pleased?"

Mokou glared back at Eirin, "Can I get there?" she asked, ignoring the question.

"To the Moon?" Eirin's eyebrows raised.

Mokou nodded. "You truly want to go there, to see Kaguya?"

"To do whatever I can to protect her," Mokou explained.

"Why? Why should I entrust her safety with someone who hates her?"

Mokou took a deep breath. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, then replied, "She is the only other person like me. Both of us will live till the end of the universe itself, everyone else will die at some point. She's the only thing I will have, after a point, to keep me sane."

Mokou blushed as she said this, looking away from Eirin. She wasn't mad anymore. She sounded sad. Like she was longing for something she could not have. "I can't lose her. So I need to be there with her, or next thing I know, she'll be gone,"

Eirin smiled, "You don't need to be ashamed, Mokou. I understand what you are feeling. I've lost more people than you have. I've been around for a very long time, longer than just about anyone else on the Moon."

Mokou was surprised by this, but could not question it, as Eirin continued, "As for your request, I suppose I can ask Yukari to ask Yuyuko to get Reisen to come back. If she does, then we can go in a week."

"A week?" Mokou's anger flared up once again, "Why so long?"

"Because you need to learn a lot about the Moon," Eirin replied, "Etiquette and language are the main two, but I'll make sure you have enough to survive up there,"

"I need to learn a new language?" Mokou was somehow surprised by the fact that an entirely different species on a different rock than her own spoke a different language.

"Yes," Eirin replied, "It's very complex, but I should be able to get you the noble greetings by the end of the week. I'll try to get Reisen back as soon as possible, but you should go home now, you'll need rest."

Mokou shook her head, "I don't think I can sleep at the moment," she explained.

Eirin smiled. It was a devious smile, possibly one containing humor as she thought of Mokou's obliviousness towards the difficulties of the Lunarian language for those who come from Earth.

She shrugged, "Alright then, if you insist, we can began now."

Mokou nodded, "Yes, please," she said, and Eirin stood, walking out of the room quickly.

"What about Reisen?" Mokou called.

"She'll be fine, reviving bodies is trivial for one like me," Eirin said as Mokou ran up to her, "The challenge is getting her soul back. I can only hope that there is something Yuyuko can do."

* * *

Reisen had no idea where she was at first. There was only white nothingness. It was strange to imagine that for her. All her life she had known something. Even in the vacuum of space, there were still rays of light from the countless stars.

Even when she had floated alone out in the void, during her zero-g training, she had known the light of the sun, the sight of the Earth and the Moon. She known things in that time.

But now, there was truly nothing. No light, no sound, no smell, no touch, no taste. Reisen had always feared the idea of an infinite nothingness after death, despite knowing that gods were real. But in reality, that nothingness was comforting.

Reisen knew nothing, so therefore, she could not know pain. She could not possibly imagine a state of happiness, or a state of sadness in this place. She simply drifted through the space, which was devoid of absolutely everything. She had not even a body, nor a true mind.

She was absolutely alone, and while she was sometimes scared of being alone with her dark memories, she found that those memories did not matter here. Here, in this dark place, she was safe from everything. Especially herself.

Reisen let herself be pushed along by whatever moved things in this ethereal world of nothingness. For an incalculable amount of time, she drifted. Of course, there was no way to measure time in this world, so Reisen could not have known. There was a small desire inside her to know, but she quashed that desire easily.

Reisen was at peace. She now knew that her choice to end her life had been a good one. _Why doesn't everyone just accept death, it's so peaceful out here? _Reisen wondered to herself, that is, before everything went white.

It was like a bright flash, a sudden unveiling of something that had been hidden for a time. Reisen saw that she was now drifting through a white space. Her body more coherent, yet also wispy, like that of a ghosts.

She saw other white, wispy shapes in the void. None of them were easily recognizable, but Reisen found herself being pulled from them. She heard a voice calling her, pulling her inwards.

For once, there was a direction. She turned around, despite not really knowing if around was an idea that did exist. It turned out that it did exist, as Reisen found herself, looking at something new as she did turn around.

"Hakugyokurou…" Reisen whispered to herself, finding that she could speak. She was being pulled towards the massive cherry blossom tree, surrounded by the comparatively small buildings that formed the mansion of the governor of the place that Reisen realized she, as a dead person, was in.

"The Netherworld," she whispered, seeing that she was being pulled towards the base of that tree. The Saigyouji Ayakashi. She had never seen it in bloom, but had been in Gensokyo when the incident occurred. Not going outside often, she was not exactly bothered by the cold, preferring it to the heat anyways, but once she knew the force behind it, she was worried a little.

Reisen saw someone at the base of the tree as she drifted closer. It was a being she recognized as Yuyuko Saigyouji. The ghost governor was looking up at Reisen as her incorporeal form came closer. A smile seemed to be on the cheery ghost's face.

Reisen came to a stop a few feet in front of Yuyuko. Far away, Reisen could see the dutiful gardener tending to her duties. "Why might you be here, little rabbit?" Yuyuko asked, her voice as playful as ever, "You seemed like a quite happy person when I last met you,"

Reisen looked off into the distance, her eyes steadily watching the actions of Youmu. It was simply a way to distract herself from the current situation. "Eirin put you up to this, didn't she?" the rabbit asked as she stared off.

The ghost-governess chuckled, "No, she did not,"

Reisen nodded in understanding. "But she knows Yukari, and I doubt you would turn down a request from Yukari,"

Yuyuko was caught off guard, "I suppose you are correct," she confessed, "Yukari did ask me to do this, but I don't know if your master asked her,"

"So why should I even want to go back?" Reisen asked, seemingly disinterested in Yuyuko, "I did what I did because I was done. Why should I go try again. I was suffering, every second was a struggle for me."

She finally focused her eyes on Yuyuko, glaring into the ghost's eyes unflinchingly. "It's hard dealing with living when you've been forced into being a murderer, so either deliver the message Eirin wanted you to give me, or send me off to the Yama immediately, as long as the former ends with the latter,"

"Eirin told Yukari to tell me that she needs you," Yuyuko replied, "And she knows that you won't care if she makes some long, beautiful speech to you herself, but she knows that you will care I tell you that Kaguya needs you."

"She wants me?" Reisen became concerned, "Why?"

"She doesn't want you, but someone else wants to get to Kaguya, and you're the only one who knows her way around the Moon,"

"Mokou?" Reisen guessed. Yuyuko shrugged in response. Once given a stern glare from Reisen, she nodded.

"Yes, the other immortal wishes to go chasing after the princess," Yuyuko said, then added, "Quite romantic, if you ask me,"

"Yes," Reisen agreed sarcastically," Their relationship is nothing _but _romance"

"Don't take my comments as facts," Yuyuko warned her, then explained, "It seems that Mokou's concerned for the princess's safety up there, wants to make sure she's alright."

"She's an immortal," Reisen was annoyed, "How can she be in danger?"

"Immortals may not be able to die, but there are many fates worse than death that only truly immortal figures can experience," Yuyuko explained, her voice foreboding.

"Why does Mokou care? She hates Kaguya,"

"I have no idea. All I know is that she cares, your master is asking you to come back to perform a duty for her, and that duty is one that relates to your other master." Yuyuko shrugged, "I wouldn't fault Youmu for running from a job I asked her to do if this happened to her, I stress the girl far too much, but you're of a different breed…"

Yuyuko's eyes lit up, she clapped her hands excitedly, shouting, "How about you work here for me?!" Reisen took a step back confused, "Come on!" Yuyuko cried, "It's so lonely here! Youmu's no fun! All she does is garden and make food all day long!"

Reisen was honestly scared by this massive and sudden change in demeanor. She stared the ghost in the eyes, wondering if it was possible to break the pull she had on her and just run off. Then she decided to retaliate in a way, "Didn't you say you stress Youmu too much?" she asked, "If so, you've no right to complain about her constantly working,"

"I work too much?!" a voice nearby shouted. Reisen simply glanced over while Yuyuko as forced to turn her entire body around to see Youmu standing there, arms crossed and anger displayed on her face. "Yuyuko-sama! You give me far too much work to be able to do anything else but sleep a few hours a night!"

"Youmu!" Yuyuko cried, obviously saddened, "You were supposed to play along! I was about to convince Reisen to stay here!" She sounded like a child who had not gotten the toy she wanted.

"No you weren't," Reisen pointed out, "I would never want to be here,"

"That's just rude," Youmu cried, turning her anger on Reisen, "Don't you insult Yuyuko-sama like that!"

Yuyuko held up her hand, indicating for the girl to stop, she looked at Reisen, "Look," she said, "Eirin, Kaguya, Tewi, even all the other earth rabbits, they all care about you more than you think. Just take a second to realize the kindness they've shown you."

"They showed me kindness by accepting me in the first place," Reisen said, her voice becoming solemn, "They don't have to show me anymore,"

"But they do, because they're not some tyrannical rulers or whatever there are on the Moon. They're people who care about you, and you should pay attention to that fact." Yuyuko sounded like she was getting angry at Kaguya's stubbornness, "If you want to go back because she asked you to for an official reason, then that is fine, but I would prefer that you go back with the intention of staying."

Reisen looked down at the ground. It was wet, but she was not at all touched by the moisture. Cherry blossoms, old and new, lay in the small pond round the tree, fallen from the tree above. Reisen looked up.

"I guess I'll go back," Reisen said. She knew that one could easily be resurrected by magical or scientific means, but the soul had to be willing to come back. Reisen had not been listening to anything for some time.

Then she opened her heart and her mind, and felt a tug. It was slight at first, before it latched on and became strong. The last thing she saw was Yuyuko excitedly waving goodbye before everything went white.

* * *

**Oh boy, when I said I was worried about LLK's ramifications for this, I didn't think this would happen. So it's pretty clear that the story is that the Moon is conducting some kind of invasion. Which is an issue, because this entire story is about stopping that invasion. And because the front-line would not be a couple of silly rabbits. **

**Well, I committed to this story, and I've written it far enough so that I'm not giving up now. I should find a way to fit the characters from LLk into this story, but I think that otherwise, this is going straight into non-canon territory. Which honestly frees up some of the restrictions already placed on me. **

**This story isn't going to get very dark. Last chapter will probably be the darkest for a long time. Also this basically marks the end of long blocks of exposition, at least for another long while. **

**I'm happy that there's another Touhou game though.**


	8. In Which There is Learning and Surprise

**Which one of you ratted this story out to ZUN? LLK is perhaps so contradictory to everything happening in this story that I cannot accept that this was mere coincidence. **

* * *

Kaguya stood in her room, surrounded by her six maids. Sabina was busy pulling various outfits out of the drawers, and acing them on the ground for Kaguya to see. Nalini was flipping through various books she had gathered to use as examples for her explanation of more modern Lunarian.

The other four were there to listen to Kaguya talk. She had wanted her maids to understand what she was planning, and did not mind being seen in her undergarments by them. "The modern Lunarian senate," Sabina explained, "Is more focused on grand displays of power. They don't like humbleness, nor do they truly appreciate different types of fashion."

Sabina held up a pair of formal shoes. Kaguya looked at it for a few seconds, then nodded. "Acceptable," she said, before Sabina took it out of the pile of the rest and placed it aside. Nalini moved to stand next to Kaguya, "Modern Noble Lunarian has also moved in a similar direction. A large amount of the complexity and elegance of the old language has been wiped aside, replaced by a more efficient dialect. It closely resembles the common dialect from roughly one thousand years ago."

"It is interesting to note that the current regime is destroying the language gap between the classes. The common language is more complex, while the noble language is down to that level. The problem is that court discussions are much more direct and blunt."

"Is that not better?" Aksinya asked, then quickly said, "Sorry for interrupting!"

"In a way, yes," Kaguya agreed, "But it's really the symbolism that is the problem. They are trying to change the society to the way they want it. The Purists, I mean. And perhaps it is because the intelligence of the senate has gone down..."

"Not that bad," Nalini shook her head, "It's really not. Perhaps it is just the changing times, not any attempt to become less intelligent. There are still smart people. I'm not saying I agree, but…" she trailed off, realizing how much she was speaking out.

"Please, I am going to demand a modicum of intelligent conversation from you. I require the best from you, so give it your all, don't hold back if I'm wrong."

Kaguya looked into Nalini's eyes. "Was I wrong?"

"To a possibly large extent, yes," she answered, "There are many intelligent people here."

Kaguya nodded, "Thank you," she said.

Sabina looked at Kaguya, gesturing to the wardrobe. "I assume you have worn one of the formal kimonos before? I was figuring that one of those would suit you best."

Kaguya nodded, "Not in a long time, but I'll easily manage."

"The language has become blunter," Kaguya repeated, then asked, "What else?"

"They've simplified the characters of the noble syllabic alphabet," Nalini showed Kaguya a comparison chart of the one hundred and firty-eight characters from one thousand years ago to the one hundred and twenty-one today. _Yes, those missing ones are very hard to pronounce, especially for someone who is trying to learn Noble Lunarian, but still…_Kaguya realized this was all an attempt to convert the Lunarian society into a new one. _They mean to emphasize the correctness of their plan by getting rid of old ideals, and that means getting rid of old elements of society. _

"And they've reduced the number of Ilt'skan, in Noble Lunarian, to about five thousand," Nalini said, "Mostly removing all the more complex words. They're mixing High and Noble Lunarian a lot." Kaguya sighed, shaking her head, knowing that Nalini was referring to the symbols that served a similar purpose to kanji. The Lunarian language had many dialects, the number changing based on who you asked, but was generally considered to be five major ones.

And unlike some differences between dialects on Earth, each Lunarian dialect had, for the most part, its own writing system. And even better, the dialects did not evolve because of regions or cultures, but because of social classes. Only the incredible memories of Lunarians actually allowed a Lunarian to learn all the dialects they might need.

At this point, Sabina was still helping Kaguya into all the various layers of her outfit. It was quite annoying the princess, but she knew that it was necessary. _If I can, I'll cut down on the fanciness as time goes on. _She decided, having gotten used to more simple attire on the Earth, at least after her total seclusion from humanity.

"And now for the rest," Sabina said, after the deed was finally done. She reached into the dresser again, hands carefully moving aside other pieces of clothing.

"Where did all this come from?" Kaguya wondered.

"About a month ago, I was told that an important guest was coming, and that I should prepare some clothing for her," Sabina explained, "But I had no idea it was you,"

_A month ago. As I suspected, this was no rash decision. It's been carefully planned. _The maid pulled out a long white cape. The kimono Kaguya wore was pink and violet, so she decided the contrast was fitting. Kaguya had forgotten a bit about the elaborate costumes of nobles. Dress that would seem like an awkward clash of different cultures and customs on Earth was commonplace for nobles on the Moon.

The flowing cape trailed down past Kaguya, and her long hair was allowed to flow down over it. She looked at herself in the mirror, and then a question came to her mind. "Why are you not all dressed?" she asked, "Hurry along now,"

"Dressed?" Nalini asked, before Sabina exclaimed.

"You mean the honor guard dress?!" she asked, and explained, "That is no longer worn. It is rare for even the chief maid to accompany the senator into the senate, much less her full retinue,"

Kaguya frowned. She remembered that the senators used to bring their entire courts, as the senate meetings were more social gatherings than anything. It was not even a display of power. It was just a symbol of how the nobles could trust their servants.

"Sabina, do you have any honor guard outfits for the six of you?" Kaguya asked.

"I know they exist in the mansion, and I can retrieve them, but the practice is out of style." Sabina warned.

"But it is an old way. People like the Watatsukis, who we must immediately convince to stand down, like the old ways. If we show them that I will facilitate a return to the older way of doing things, then people like them will be more sympathetic. It will also show my courage." Kaguya explained, "So hurry and do that."

Sabina nodded before running out of the room as fast as she could. The princess turned around to face Nalini, "What words should I not use?" she asked.

Nalini pulled out a paper. On it was everything that was considered obsolete these days. Kaguya gritted her teeth. She hadn't spoken in Noble Lunarian for a very long time. Even at the moment, she and her maids spoke Informal Lunarian. She realized that she was going to have some trouble with this speech now.

Kaguya realized she almost had tears in her eyes, "This is a complete defilement of everything the Moon stands for. There is no purity here anymore," she shook her head, "There never was,"

Verena moved forwards, putting a hand on Kaguya's shoulder. "Kaguya," she said, "Please, don't act like this. It's not that bad."

_If I keep this up, I look too sympathetic to the Earth. I can show that to Verena, she would follow me into Hell if I asked her. But for the others…I have to be more careful. I'm betting that someone is at least giving Yui hints about what I'm planning, or at least telling her if she asks about me. _So Kaguya stifled her tears, shut her mouth, and nodded. She embraced Verena for a brief second before she split away.

"Yukiko," she said, "How much of the senate is military?"

"Two-thirds of the senate is the Purists, and the senate and the LSDF Purists are united," the girl replied.

"Two-thirds…" Kaguya muttered, before she turned towards the door out of the room. "You can all get ready, I can find my way around the mansion."

The five maids nodded in unison as Kaguya walked out of the room. They were silent for a few seconds before they all looked at Verena. "She's going to be difficult for all of us," the girl said, "She's changed due to her time on the Earth, but I am confident that she will lead us in the correct direction."

Verena looked out the window. The Earth was dimly visible in the light of the setting sun. She wondered what exactly the place had done to Kaguya.

And she wondered if she would care if the princess truly had changed.

* * *

Kaguya strode through the mansion alone. She had been offered to be escorted, but she knew the room that Yui always used for meetings. It was a large banquet hall, one of several in the mansion, but was special because of the memories of that place. It was where Yui and Kaguya met for the first time, which had apparently made a large impact on the latter.

The large, rectangular table stretched throughout most of the room, save for a raised stage opposite the large front doors. Kaguya entered through those front doors, the guards to either side swinging them open as she approached.

Roughly thirty people were gathered round the large banquet table, Yui being one of them. The Lunarian senate consisted of 108. _Less than a third is with Yui, _Kaguya observed, preventing a sigh from escaping her lips. _That's not good at all. I can see why she called me in. _

_But clearly more of the populace is with her, or else she would never have any kind of defense whatsoever. That fact does give me something to work with. _Kaguya's entrance attracted the attention of everyone in the room, whose heads all turned in unison. Conversations ended abruptly as the thirty took their places around the large table, all standing, seemingly waiting for Kaguya to sit.

She did not sit, seeing if any would cave and take a seat. None did. _First test was passed with flying colors, _she thought, _now for part two. _"Hello," she said, "As all of you know, I am Kaguya Houraisan. I am not a princess. Do not address me as such. That title was stripped from me."

Yui spoke up, "But would the Purists not respect you more if-"

"No, they would not, because the title is not mine to have. Using it now would make us look pretentious, bestowing royal titles on those who do not deserve it. We cannot use it," Kaguya explained. _Yui failed that one, but that was to be expected. She hasn't seen me in a long time, and I didn't exactly leave on good terms with her. I'll have to make sure I address that problem at some point. _She looked around, studying the faces of the other senators. She noticed that three in particular had large groups around them when she first walked in, and two out of those three seemed to agree with her logic.

"Next order of business is to discuss how many of you dislike me," Kaguya said, "We cannot get anywhere unless everyone in this room is able to at least understand why my ideas make sense,"

"Please," she insisted, "Do raise your hands if you dislike me for any reason that is meaningful. Be prepared to explain."

The two senators who had agreed with her raised their hands. One was a man, blonde hair, blue eyes. He wore white robes with blue lining. Kaguya pointed to him. "Things have changed over the past thousand years, and although you are obviously clever, observant, and intelligent, and are being debriefed by those Yui sent to you, I fear that you do not understand the current situation of the senate."

"Who shares similar thoughts?" Kaguya asked everyone. Several hands went down, but of the twenty-one raised in the first place, eleven remained. Kaguya looked back to the blonde man, "Take all of those people, compile a full report on the modern Lunarian Senate. I need it before we leave, I can read it on the shuttle if necessary, just get it to me."

The man frowned for a moment, before he grinned, nodded, and walked out of the room with the others following him. "Why does everyone else not like me?" Kaguya asked.

A woman raised her hand. She wore a blue dress with a dark red coat over it, and had brown hair. "Your time on the Earth has perhaps corrupted your viewpoint. I understand we are all here because we believe in the purity of the Earth, to an extent, but that's not what I'm worried about. On the Earth, what did you do?"

Kaguya caught onto the message she was trying to convey. "I did not get involved in any political matters, nothing on the scale of things here. Therefore, you believe that I severely lack a solid memory of how to operate."

"Correct," the woman said.

"Then there is absolutely nothing I can do for you," Kaguya explained, "But prove that I don't. I have already prepared a rough plan for how things are going to play out. With the report coming in from the others, things will change, but I will be able to manage."

"I apologize if I insulted you," the woman said, "I just wanted to ensure that you are competent still. I shall wait for this display."

"I promise that I hall demonstrate my ability,"

The woman nodded, "I understand," she said, "But do not expect me to bow down to you."

"I have never asked that," Kaguya said, "I would prefer that all of you criticize me as much as is possible."

She took a deep breath, and saw that the short conversation seemed to have rooted out and silenced the dissenting opinions. "Now then," she said, "How about we move onto the main topic?"

"At this point," Kaguya said, "Our main targets are the Watatsuki sisters. They are capable of inciting the masses to rise against us still, and they feel guilty, more specifically shamed by the guilt they feel."

"We need to convince them that we are going to guide the Moon towards peace, not war," Kaguya said, "They believe that this whole effort is going to cause a civil war, or worsen the already present issues. We cannot let them think that, or else we'll have problems. They are no longer senators, but they will be listening tonight, and at least one will use what little power she has to actually be there."

"Why go after them?" the woman in blue asked, "I don't exactly understand how they can threaten us. Some people still listen to them, but the senate will completely disregard them if they speak for us."

"We don't want them on our side," Kaguya explained, "Or at least we don't care if they are or aren't. We don't need for the moment, all we need is to keep them quiet, and I would prefer to do that as peacefully as possible. So I am going to go out there, and be as calm and rational as possible while still getting the attention of the idiots who are in charge of this place,"

The woman nodded in reply, "Still…I'm not sure they are what we should focus on at the moment."

"Everything else can wait," Kaguya said, "And the military still has huge respect for them, given their thousands of years of service. If we get them on our side, then a good portion of the remaining loyalists will end up working for us if things come to blows, which they hopefully do not, but we have to plan ahead."

"Therefore, I will center my speech on how I am going to move forwards, and hopefully push for reforms which will reshape the Moon into what it truly should be, which is the purest place possible. I'll avoid saying that its current state is…not ideal, instead I'll talk about how things have declines, and throw in some lies about how the efforts of the Earth only serve to worsen the situation. It's somewhat true, but our reactions also matter."

Kaguya went on for minutes more, about forty-five, before she was interrupted. She had laid out the plan for her speech, at least a sort of rough draft, before she was interrupted. The doors to the room burst open, and those senators who had left before returned.

The man in white handed Kaguya a stack of papers. She looked at what was held in her hand, and found that it was a report on the state of the senate. Four pages, containing a brief summary of all she needed to know.

"A little over forty-five minutes," Kaguya muttered, and as the man took his position again, she looked at him. "You are now my chief of staff," she declared, before she looked down and started to read the first page.

"What?!" the man cried, and Yui said the same thing.

Kaguya sighed, not looking up, "Yui, you brought me here to solve the problem, let me solve the problem. No complaints, it's official now."

"You've no autho-…" the man shook his head, dismissing that statement. It had truthfulness, Kaguya really did have zero power over the man. He was a senator, and she was an exile. "You are older than me, and you are wiser and smarter, so I guess that is acceptable."

Kaguya only grinned as she looked down. She read through the entire report in about ten minutes, making sure she understood everything. "Who wrote this?" was the question she asked when she finished.

"I did," the man replied, "The others assisted me, but I compiled the text itself."

"You get even more credit now," Kaguya said, "This is some very old fashioned wording…but of course, you did it specifically to make my happy."

The man's composure broke as he was called out, but Kaguya only looked up and smiled at him, "Which is one of the best things to do in politics. You even mentioned it here. There are no morals. You give someone what they want when you want something from them. You want my approval, you have it, you gave me this," she held up he papers before putting it down on the table, "So I have yet to fully repay you."

"Change of plans," she announced to everyone, "I can't talk about the future yet. They want a display of power, not wisdom. They want to be personally appeased, which, while absolutely revolting, is something I can do. I can target the major personalities as they are mentioned in this report, and make sure they are happy. The Watatsukis will be more old-fashioned, so I will need to include something for them." She then briefly explained her plan for the Watatsukis to those who had been gone.

"I will also need to target the rest of the senate personally, not just appease them. Mention their futures, their legacy. It scares even long-living creatures like us, even though we have plenty of time to erase one legacy and forge a new one," Kaguya explained, "They also respect shows of power, but…" she looked at the report again, "Not from those who truly have no power."

"So that means no grand entrance," Kaguya decided, "And again, we are not referring to me as princess. We cannot make any threats, we can only state facts. Otherwise, they will take us as fools." She shook her head. _This is going to be like posturing with barbarians, not conversing with intelligent beings._

"We will all arrive together, in one flight of craft," she decided.

"But that will tell them we have been planning," one senator said, "They will know of this meeting."

"The Purists control Black Ops," Kaguya said, not entirely believing the dissenting voice was serious, "The easiest thing for them to do is track a number of shuttles all moving towards one point. That shows that many people are gathered there, meaning that there is a meeting of some kind taking place there, obviously amongst the peoples who were in those shuttles."

"If we arrive separately, then that shows we are trying to trick them, and that is a bad image to display. So we are going to instead arrive in one body. And that leads into my next point, we need to show unity."

"We have to have once voice," Kaguya declared firmly, "We cannot have differing opinions anymore. If you want to say something to the public, then it goes through me." She slammed her fist on the table, "The Purists are unified, but we all want different things, clearly. This ends now. I will speak for this group, and if you do not like that, then please leave this room now."

She looked to the blonde-haired man, "I will be speaking from your seat," she told him.

"Why not mine?" Yui asked, and the others seemed to support that question.

"If I speak from Yui, then it looks like I'm trying to build off of Yui, and that I don't trust anyone else, and no one else trusts me with their seat. That's not true, so I shall speak from your seat," she explained. "Any more questions?"

No one moved. "Good," Kaguya declared "Now, let's get farther into the details of the speech, we still have an hour or so left,"

And the princess began to speak at length once more, as the minutes on the clock ticked by to what might be the beginning of a long line of successes.

Or the beginning of a short line of failures.

* * *

Almost an hour later, the princess was leaving the banquet hall. The man who was now chief of staff for the princess walked alongside her. His name, as Kaguya found out, was Salathiel Beovil.

"The Beovils?" Kaguya had said to him as they moved towards the door, "A minor family last time I checked,"

"Everyone in our house was knocked out by the Purists, or at least forced to back down," Salathiel explained, "We moved up the ranks pretty quickly by playing along. I decided to change that around when I came to power."

"How did you come to power?" Kaguya asked, "I remember your family, you had an older brother, right?"

Salathiel froze a few feet from the door. He shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts, before trying to put on a straight face and saying, "He was a senator, but…well. He…he died…in a starship accident. It was a drone-controlled transport, at warp out to the Jovian colonies...the engine failed…" He did his best to seem sad.

"Salathiel," Kaguya said, completely unfazed, "You're going to need to learn to lie better if you want to get anywhere."

The man was about to protest, before Kaguya replied, leaning in close, "I know that you murdered your brother. He was purist, wasn't he? You needed him gone, so you set him up to travel without a crew, and then you killed him." Kaguya chuckled into his ear, before whispering, "You do realize what this means?"

"No betrayals on my part, right?" Salathiel said shakily, his composure broken. The room had been quickly vacated, and Kaguya and Salathiel were the only ones left.

"Right," the word flowed off Kaguya's tongue like a song. She brought her head away from his face, before waving for him to keep following her. She walked out the doors to find her six maids waiting for her. Each one was dressed in the traditional honor dress of a noble's highest ranking servants.

It consisted of a dress piece, with the layered and frilled skirt reaching down to the legs. The skirt and the torso covering were both actually made of rigid metal, to serve as protection. It was incredibly light, but also incredibly strong. And laid over the basic armor was a thin fiber weave that served to further protect the maids.

Over this was worn a different kind of covering based generally on the descent of the noble. For Kijitasein, it was a modified kimono, with the cloth opening up more to expose the legs, and going only halfway down the shins. For Oktunvic, it was a long greatcoat, going down about the same length as the kimono, and not buttoned up. A similar fiber weave was over whichever of these two garments was worn.

Given that Yui was the princess these uniforms had come from, they were of the former design. They were further complemented by short boots, with heels high enough display status, but not too inconvenient if combat was necessary. Besides, all maids were trained to fight in even the highest types of heels.

Even Kaguya had gotten some training from the more combat-inclined of her friends back in the day. She was rusty, but she was fairly certain she could outfight most other people if both were wearing several inch heels. Leggings also stretched up to cover the legs, going past the knee-length skirt.

The arms were covered by the elbow-length sleeves of the dress and the longer sleeves of the kimono or greatcoat, while the hands had leather gloves on them. The hair of each girl had a small golden headpiece, which was one of three parts of the outfit that had the same color for any honor guard.

Otherwise, the color scheme was determined by the colors of whichever family the maids served. Yui's colors were bright gold and deep blue, so the outfit was colored accordingly. The kimono was of blue, while the skirt was golden. The heels were black, which was also standard, while the leggings were of a transparent white color. Each also wore a gold, silk scarf around their neck. Finally, a deep blue cape hung from the shoulders of each. The cape was thick, and built so that it was resistant to all forms of attack. It was intended to serve as decoration, but also be used as a method of defense, especially if another person had to be covered.

Verena stood at the head of the six, and she smiled as she saw Kaguya. "Let's go," the princess said, as Salathiel gaped in awe at the six.

"Surprised?" Kaguya asked, "I had them get this all out. The Watatsukis, like many on the fence, like the old ways more than the new. You said so yourself in that nice little report of yours. Showing off the old regalia does indeed speak of a return to old times, does it not?"

Salathiel could only nod as the princess started to walk away, surrounded on both sides by her maids. He hurried to catch up, wondering if the princess knew what she was doing.

He caught up, walking side by side with the girl. "Please," he said, "Don't spread the word, I can't let this get out."

"Why not?" Kaguya asked, "It was your sister, wasn't it?""

"What?!" Salathiel cried in disbelief, "How do you know all of this? You just got here?!"

"I met you, a long time ago, a few years before I left," Kaguya explained, the pair still being surrounded by her maids as they walked. "You were…relatively children. Your brother was older than you, much more mature. He informed me that he was staunchly against the Earth, believed all the things the Purists thought about it, as it was a time after the invasion."

"You, however, were somewhat interested in the Earth. You at least held a neutral viewpoint. Your little sister, well, I never got a good idea of her. However, I can see that you are far too frantic to actually have done it. To be perfectly honest, I just guessed that it had something to do with family politics. Your reaction, one of surprise and fear, but a genuine one. You didn't do it, or else you would have been ready to be caught. You wouldn't be begging me."

"Your sister, on the other hand…I guessed again. Your reaction confirmed it. I knew you couldn't have done it, so the only other person who might directly benefit is your sister. If she sets you up in the senate, then plants evidence against you that she can bring up at any time, she can control you. Best of all, you're about to be framed."

"You're protecting her, though," Kaguya said, "You know that she killed him, so why don't you tell?"

Salathiel looked around at the maids. Verena kept a perfectly calm composure, not even seeming to listen. Yukiko was the same. Nalini was interested, and Janessa showed similar interest, but managed to stay calm. Sabina and Aksinya were the most interested in what was being said.

"I trust them," Kaguya said, "They won't talk, so please, go on,"

Salathiel took a deep breath, before he said, "I asked my sister, to take care of our brother, she said she could. I just wanted him out of his position, possibly framed for something, or just convinced to let me take the seat. I did not think she would kill him."

"She wants you dead as well," Kaguya said, "If she wanted to help just you, he would not have died. Instead, you are going to be framed for the murder."

They were close to exiting the palace and moving out onto the landing pad. Kaguya paused, "I will speak to her tomorrow," she decided, "Arrange a meeting with the girl."

"Why?" Salathiel asked.

"The last thing I need is my chief of staff getting framed for murder, and a smart girl like your sister could be useful." Kaguya turned to look at him as she started walking again, "So do it,"

"With all due respect," Salathiel said, a bit worried to speak, "You just guessed your way through that. Is that how you're going to operate?"

Kaguya shrugged, "I don't like counting on luck. I figured family politics had something to do with it, given that starship accidents don't just happen so conveniently, and he was with the Purists. I know Yui would never condone an assassination, so unless he betrayed the Purists, it was probably someone in his own family."

The doors opened before the princess. Ahead of her was the walkway leading to a landing pad, similar to one that Toyohime's shuttle had landed on earlier. A shuttlecraft, shaped similarly to the one that had brought Kaguya to the Moon, was waiting.

She got into the craft, with her maids following her. Salathiel followed. The woman in blue who had previously disagreed with her was the only other occupant. The doors closed as Kaguya sat down alone, and the shuttle took off quickly.

The woman in blue was to the right of Kaguya. "Do well tonight," Kaguya told her, glancing to the side at her.

"Why me?" the woman asked.

"You seem useful," Kaguya replied, "But I've yet to truly gauge your value."

"What do you want from me?"

"Impress me," Kaguya replied, "But do tell me one thing?"

The woman was silent, her eyebrows raised as she waited for Kaguya's question. "What is your ambition?"

"That is something I will tell you when I can trust you," the woman replied.

"Fair enough," Kaguya said, before she went silent for the rest of the journey to the building where the Lunarian Senate gathered.

* * *

**So uh, yeah. LLK involves an actual invasion it seems. But I've spent about nine months now in the development of this, and I'm not going to flush it all down the drain. I'll keep going, as I said before.**

**Funnily enough, I completely forgot that Mokou is actually a pure being because she's immortal. I actually came up with a whole part about how she, with help of course, avoids detection long enough to get to Kaguya, but I suppose that's not really necessary at this point. Thanks for reminding me of that, even if it was unintentional. **

**The Dream World actually is going to be involved in the story at some point. Not sure to what extent yet, but it will be there. I'm also in the process of working in things from ULL, as the scope of the story does expand later. What I'm mainly worried about is the stage 4-6 bosses of LLK, because they're probably going to be some big wigs on the Moon. But as I said, this story will keep going. I just have a strange want to keep everything as canonically correct as possible.**

**This chapter may have been a huge mess, I don't know. I feel like it was. **


	9. So Ends the Beginning of the Beginning

The Lunarian Senate was located in a large building specifically dedicated to the meeting of that political body. Despite the relatively small size of the Senate, at least compared to the building it met in, there was somehow a need for a huge circular structure with a radius of about a hundred meters to all sides. The middle of the building, where the senate room was located, was domed.

Landing pads for shuttles surrounded the building, exactly one hundred and eight jutting out from the circular structure. The space was tight, with each pad being small enough for only one small shuttle.

The Lunarian Senate, unlike similar bodies in other countries, actually met all year round, due to the fact that it was the only political force that had control over every aspect of Lunarian life. The Supreme Commander and the Joint Chiefs oversaw the LSDF and could theoretically veto any bills or laws related to the military, and the Emperor could theoretically veto any bills or laws related to anything else, but the emperor usually deferred to the senate's opinions, while the military usually did the same.

Kaguya was beginning to understand that the government was quite poorly designed. The emperor was supposed to be more of a figurehead, but they really were more than that, with the senate having a large portion of the power, but the military being really in charge thanks to the fact that they had all the guns.

The command structure of the LSDF did not make too much sense, with their being a large number of nobles who held high positions simply because they were noble. And if they did not have military power because of that, too many nobles held power due to alliances with some general in the LSDF.

The LSDF was supposed to be headed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. There were two dozen of them, because the Lunar Military was separated only into the ground and void forces. Six were from the LGDF, or the Lunar Ground Defense Force, while the other six were from the LVDF, or the Lunar Void Defense Force.

The idea was that having more would result in a more argumentative and productive atmosphere, rather than just two branches fighting with one another. The Supreme Commander was supposed to be only a representative of these chiefs, and their decisions were supposed to be made based on the ideas of the joint chiefs. But as it was, the joint chiefs were in line with the supreme commander, so they had absolute control over all matters within the military.

The Senate could still push bills through, but since both groups were mostly purist, there was never any argument. The Emperor had power over the rest of the Moon, but the military had used the recent 'crises' to declare a state of war, and seize most of the emperor's power.

And with the senate on the military's side, the Moon was set towards a campaign of destruction against the Earth. But most of the lower ranking military officers were Negotiators, or at least opposed those above them simply because of the class divides. _It's becoming more of a class struggle, with the higher using their rank and power to create false fear in order to perpetuate their power. Destroying the Earth would remove any chance of rebellion against their rule. _

So the divide was clear. The two sides were set. And Kaguya knew that she did not truly belong to either one. It was not that she was in the middle, but she was _too _Negotiator. If Kaguya had her way, then the Earth and the Moon would regain the same links that they had one thousand years ago, long before the invasion.

The Purists and those who were neutral had already arrived, and had spent plenty of time conversing in the many rooms outside the main senate room. It was an old tradition that none be seated in the room itself till all had arrived, and Kaguya had made sure that she would be one of the last to arrive, increasing the attention she would already be receiving.

She was no petty whore for attention, but she knew that it could only help her if more people were focused on her and the message she conveyed simply be entering the way she and the others in her faction did.

She was not exactly worried, and she could tell that the other experienced people around her were also not very worried. But Salathiel had just been thrust into the spotlight, and Kaguya could almost feel the fear emanating from him. Verena had been through plenty of strenuous sessions, so she had nothing to worry about. Yukiko and Sabina were not too worried, and Kaguya could tell that they had faced strenuous situations in their previous jobs.

But the other three of her maids were clearly not too excited to be here. Kaguya could not blame them. They would have to stand up to much scrutiny, but Kaguya hoped that she could deflect most of it by making herself more noticeable than the message she intended for the Watatsukis to see.

The shuttle touched down softly. Kaguya had been in the things thousands of times over her long life, so she could tell when it was landing. The doors came open, and Verena led Yukiko out first, as Nalini and Janessa stood by Kaguya as she walked out, while Sabina and Aksinya were in the rear.

The seven girls were the first to exit the craft, moving swiftly across the landing pad as Salathiel and the other woman left the shuttle and followed the princess. Kaguya had made sure that the senators arrived in groups, to reinforce how they had come as a single force.

Kaguya strode undetermined towards the doors into the senate. The pad stretched out about five meters from the doors, and she traveled down the short walkway towards the tall doors into the building itself. A guard was to either side of them, specifically Lunarians. Kaguya knew that most nobles did not trust Lunar Rabbits with higher tasks, and she could not deny that she had once thought similar, yet not quite as extreme, things.

Her experiences with Reisen had instantly taught her otherwise. The doors opened, and Verena strode a single step ahead of Yukiko as they entered the building.

The building was fifty meters tall, save for the domed part of it, with each floor being about five meters tall. The top three floors of the center area were occupied entirely by the Senate room itself. The building had practically everything one could possibly need for an extended stay at the place, and Kaguya knew why. Senate sessions had, or possibly used to have, tendencies of lasting for days on end, which would not make for a very efficient conversation if all had to leave every so often.

"Salathiel," Kaguya said as the man caught up to her, "Where's your seat?"

"I'm fourth tier, so near the top of the room. We need to enter about a floor up from where we are now." Verena led the way, following the direction she was given. The party ascended the stairs as the announcement calling the senators in was given.

The senate room was shaped something like a hall for an opera. At one end of it, near the bottom of the forty-five feet tall space, was something of a raised, semicircular due to the circular nature of the room, stage, where the emperor, the supreme commander of the military, and the speaker of the senate would sit at an equal height.

Then, in a tier around the edge of the room would be the seats of the next seven senators in order of rank. Their seats were the next largest compared to the three heads, and ran all the way around the space. Above them was another tier with ten senators, and above them another tier with twenty. The last two consisted of twenty each.

So the room consisted of six concentric rings going down into a narrow center. Kaguya, as she prepared to enter, thought of how she read some human poem about a place quite like that. _It was…the Inferno or something…wasn't that place Hell? _As this came to her mind, she almost laughed at the coincidence, but knew that the humor, especially since it was related to her reading and enjoyment of Earth literature, would not be well-received.

She stood in front of the doors which would open to let Kaguya into the box that Salathiel usually occupied alone with his closest advisor. That girl had quickly scurried into the shuttle as Kaguya and he entered. It was a Lunar Rabbit, something of a rarity amongst the elite, but Kaguya liked her presence.

She had a clean cut suit, and was silent, seemingly emotionless, as she followed Salathiel and Kaguya. Many of the other senators in the ring around the fourth tier of the senate were giving her strange looks of both awe and scrutiny. It was both her presence, and the presence and appearance of her maids that made them look in such ways at the princess.

The doors opened before her, as all the others entered the senate. The emperor, supreme commander, and head senator were all already seated. The box of Salathiel had two seats in the front, with smaller ones in the back, for others he might need, but certainly not any personal servants.

Kaguya walked to the forefront of the box, looking around the massive room as the senators filed in. Her maids took the seats behind the larger ones, and Salathiel sat in one large chair. His advisor, named Chie, was standing beside him, giving her chair to Kaguya.

"Sit, please," the princess said gently, turning her head around, "I'll stand." The rabbit did so, while Kaguya walked to stand beside Salathiel's chair.

The room fell silent after a few minutes, and then the head senator stood from his seat. He looked around the room, his eyes clearly directed at Yui's seat. Everyone's eyes were directed there, believing that Kaguya would be there.

As he looked around, he seemed surprised to find Kaguya present in Salathiel's seat. All senators were wired with microphones so that they could be heard in the vast room. "Welcome, everyone, to this rather impromptu meeting of the Senate, but I believe that given the occasion, we can forgive the hassle. I believe that the only reason we have come here is to hear Ms. Houraisan, so let us give our attention to her."

"Would you like the floor?" he asked.

Kaguya shook her head, "I shall remain here,"

"Then begin when you are ready," the senator asked, "You will be open to questions following your speech?"

Kaguya nodded, before she opened her mouth, ready to give the speech she had spent plenty of time preparing, but not actually writing. She had no script, only having her own thoughts and knowledge to guide her.

"As all of you know, I am Kaguya Houraisan. I am no true princess, that title was stripped from me years ago, and I do not see myself fit to proclaim myself a princess on my own. I have spent a little over one thousand years on the Earth, and due to my experience on that planet, and due to my own political experience and expertise, I was asked to return here to resolve the conflict."

She paused, ensuring that all understood why she was here. She strained, trying to locate one of the Watatsukis, but she could not locate either one of them at the moment. So Kaguya continued, calm and collected, but also making sure to add a solid touch of emotion into her voice.

"I know that all of you are very worried about me. Some say they trust me, but I can see that there is doubt. After all, I've spent a thousand years on what we call a place of impurity. I have little experience in the new environment. I have to say that I may not know all that I am doing."

"That does not mean that I cannot work to solve this problem that now faces us all. For those who were alive long ago, during the Last War, you will understand just what will happen if a civil war breaks out now. The Lunarian race may not survive." She made sure to not sugarcoat her words. "I am determined to stop a war at all costs, even if it means that one side must lose entirely."

"And that facts scares those who oppose the ones who asked me here," Kaguya directed her gaze at the senators she knew to be Purists. The list had been handed to her by Salathiel along with his report. Her eyes individually went to each of the many within the senate, before her cold gaze was delivered to the Supreme Commander and the Head Senator. Almost a full minute passed while this occurred.

She was challenged by not a single person there. No sound rose up from the gathered officials and their servants to break the silence she had imposed upon the massive room.

"And that includes any war against the Earth," Kaguya added, "You may think that I am willing to let the Purists win, but that is not at all what I mean." She tightened her fists, putting her heart truly into her words. "War with the Earth is not an option."

She paused, then asked, "Can anyone tell me why? Is there a single person in the room, besides the Negotiators, who can tell me why we absolutely cannot have a war with the Earth?" Her eyes met those of every single member of the Senate who was not a Negotiator. The question was intended to be rhetorical, but Kaguya capitalized on the fact that some in the senate took it seriously, and looked around wondering if any would reply.

"There are intelligent people here," Kaguya said knowingly, "Intelligent people on all sides. I know for a fact that some Purists don't even mind the Earth." She truly didn't, but those listening had no way of knowing what she really knew.

"There are other motivations for this besides religious ones. Some of the Negotiators don't even believe in the cause they support so righteously. We are all gathered here today with so many, many reasons for being here, saying the things we say, and doing the things we do. How about we take down those barriers, and see if anyone can give me a reason why war with the Earth is not even an option."

No one replied. The universal belief was that she was being rhetorical. Kaguya cursed herself as she momentarily slipped into the previous style of the senate, where questions addressed to all listeners were common. But she managed to carry on.

"So none here are brave enough to speak out?" she asked, and without giving any time to reply she carried on. "I can understand to an extent, even though the answer is quite obvious. This answer, which none here can apparently develop, is that genocide is not an option for us."

"We speak of purity. We look down on the Earth for its impurity. We claim that all those on that fertile planet below deserve to die, because they aren't pure. But what makes us pure? What makes them impure?"

The audience was astounded by this direct questioning. Kaguya could hear Salathiel shift as if he was flinching, while she observed Yui frown at her words. "I know what all of you are thinking right now. It's so incredibly easy to figure it out. Even the Negotiators, who are on my side, think this."

"You are all wondering if I have been tainted by the one thousand years I have spent on the Earth. I have not undergone any Rites of Purification, so I know that in your view, I am just a tainted fool. But perhaps we should be intelligent people, like this senate once was." Kaguya would never have uttered words, direct insults, like this in the past, but according to what she had read, the senate of the present day wanted grand displays of power and bravery, not intelligent thought.

"Perhaps I was tainted by the Earth, I don't know. Maybe my views are misguided, maybe I have become a fool. But not a single person in this room can say for certain. Just like I can't say for certain. We cannot look at a sentient being and wonder if it is pure or not. That is not how we can act anymore. It is not how we acted in the past. The _entire_ _point _of being pure, as established in the Articles of Purity, is that all negative emotions are banished from the mind, as is thought of doing anything negative."

"So can a single person in this room tell me that calling the Earth a pit of unclean fools is a positive thought? I know that some people, many people in fact, will tell me such a thing. They will tell me that it is simply speaking the truth." Kaguya shook her head.

"Maybe the Earth is impure. I cannot say that it is perfect. In fact, those creatures down there…they certainly don't have the intelligence we do." Kaguya had to call upon all her willpower to speak these words. To speak such words, insulting a place she loved, to a place she hated. It hurt her. She wished to immediately take back the words, but she could not. What had been said had been said.

And she had to continue saying such things, even right now. "The humans, they sought to take me as their own, seeking me as a bride. I of course fended them off, and it only shows the way they are down there. I hid in a bamboo thicket for one thousand years, but humans, youkai, they simply can't understand us."

She looked around the room once again, "But there are still sentient beings. Like you and me. Last time I checked, murder is a crime. It goes against the entire point of being a pure being." She gripped the sides of the box she stood at the edge of. "We a pure creatures, supposedly, so why I am here? Why do I feel anger at you all?"

She had disbelief, which was not feigned, on her face. "Almost four thousand years ago, the Last War was fought. After that war, which wiped out some eighty percent of the Lunarian and Lunar Rabbit races, we called ourselves pure. And I think for a time we were. We did not seek to have more than what we had. We did not strive to become any better than what we already were. Because we were all living in harmony. For perhaps a thousand years, we lived in a true Age of Purity. Then things began to split, but we remained pure to the core. Morally and spiritually, we had no bad intentions."

She realized that she was going off the rails partially here. She had to get back on track, and to this end, she had to lie some more. "And we still don't. I understand that some people are just scared of the Earth. Maybe you're not scared, perhaps you're worried. Maybe you want to purify the universe. These are things that seem good to many, but they aren't. It's so easy to sit up here, and look down at humans as nothing more than mindless animals. Nothing more than insects."

"And the issue is that in a very real way, they are nothing more than insects." Kaguya had a realization in her mind as she said this. _Yet they are insects, compared to people like me, Eirin, Yui, any Lunarian, a human is powerless. We're magic-wielding creatures that can exist where there is nothing for life. And humans are so mundane, dependent on their inventions and the world around them to sustain their lives. _

"But purity is about being kind to everything. Purity is about loving every single thing in this universe, no matter what it is. That is what is written in the Articles, and I hope, I pray to the gods themselves, that all of you have read them carefully." She was truly becoming emotional. She was no longer acting at all. The tears that almost came to her eyes were truly there.

"We are Lunarians, but that is a false identity." Kaguya declared. "We are not people of the Moon, we are people of purity. And that is what matters to us. Living on this Moon does not make us pure. Being spiritually and morally just is what matters. And if any person in this room is not, then I suggest that you go down to the Earth, so that when its end comes, you can go along with it."

Her anger was not false. "I am no princess. I am no senator. I have nothing but the kindness of the people who brought me here to this Moon. But more importantly, I have no stake in any of this. I refused to return here because I prefer solitude to being with others. If you want, you can send me back down to the Earth, and I shall observe as you destroy yourselves. I know that so many of you will oppose me no matter how much I beg, and that some of you think I'm trying to guilt trip you, but I'm not. I am simply saying that I came here of my own volition, because I think that you all have a chance. Everyone here has a chance to be the pure beings we always speak of."

She took a deep breath, "But how can you become pure when you want to destroy the Earth? When you want to commit genocide, or are even ready to kill your own people. How can you be a pure being then?" She was getting quite tired of saying the word pure, and any word related to it.

"What will the future generations think, as they look out at the sky and see a charred rock? Will they praise their ancestors for killing people?" Kaguya grinned slyly, "I think they will. Because that is the thing they will be told to think. Because any child should know that killing is bad, that killing is wrong. But will we tell them that killing is right?"

"All of you should think about what you'll say to your children, or your children's children, or the children of those children. What will the history books say about you? Perhaps some of you are maniacs. You just want a place in them, you don't mind what kind of place it is. But I think that all of you want a good place, a place that people will look up to and be inspired by."

"And how is one to achieve such a position when they are responsible for a genocide?" Kaguya asked. "How? Each of you needs to tell me right now." It was a direct demand. None responded to it.

"The answer is that you can't, not unless you commit more crimes against your own people, to make them think what you want them to think." Kaguya let her words sink in. She was close to finishing, and just needed to deliver a few more blows to finish her first attack.

The air in the room was completely different. The tension had been loose when she first entered, as none considered her much of a threat. They had been haughty, even the younger ones looking down on her.

"Perhaps I, Kaguya Houraisan, am a fool. Perhaps I do want to destroy you all. But I am extending my arm because I still love my people. I do not hate any of you in this room, no matter what I have said. I was there for every moment of the Last War. I don't want that fate for anyone. We are better than this."

She made her voice as loud as possible, instilling in it a proud tone. "We may be of the Lunarian race, but we are also pure! We are purer than the Earth, but that does not make us better. I would like you all to remember that we are older than humanity, and once upon a time, we were just like them."

She went silent, and despite her previous silences, this one clearly signaled the end of her speech. There was no applause. No cheers. The Head Senator merely opened his mouth, briefly saying, without any obvious emotion, "Thank you." Minutes of silence passed. No one spoke.

Kaguya was prepared for questions, but none came to her. It seemed that not a single one of the over one-thousand year old beings in the room were prepared for what she had said. "Mr. Dian," she said, addressing the Head Senator, "If no questions are going to be asked, may I suggest the closing of this meeting. Perhaps we need time to ruminate on what has been said. I understand that my speech was hard to digest, and I can forgive anyone who needs time."

She actually saved face through this maneuver. If she had said nothing, then the Head Senator would have had to call off the meeting without anyone telling him to, which would have humiliated him and those in power. But if Kaguya suggested that the meeting be called off, even understanding the need for it, the Head Senator would be more justified, as Kaguya had technically never ceded the floor to anyone.

Now that she had, she would be seen as a polite, proper person. "Perhaps that is for the best, Ms. Houraisan," the Head Senator declared, before he spoke out, "This meeting of the Lunarian Senate has now come to a close." The gathered senators stood. The meeting ended.

Kaguya turned around. Verena had already started applauding, and the other maids quickly caught on. Chie was unsure of what to do, following Salathiel's lead. That man was staring in shock at Kaguya. "You really just did that," he said, not believing his ears.

"What did I do wrong?" Kaguya asked, she was worried, given that Salathiel knew what she should be doing.

"Nothing," Salathiel shook his head, "There was nothing major that you could have fixed in the moment." He immediately stood up, fists clenching as he stood straight. "Ms. Houraisan, I would be honored to become your Chief of Staff."

Kaguya smiled. She had not planned this, but she would take the good luck while it came to her. "Well then," Kaguya said, "That's good, because you already are. Bring any personnel you wish to have with you to Yui's mansion tomorrow, and you shall start working for me."

Kaguya turned to Verena, "Let us go. I hope to see at least one of the Watatsukis here. You six follow me everywhere." She turned to Salathiel, "You and Chie, go look around for anyone else that might be useful, give me a rudimentary list by the time we get back to the mansion."

The man nodded, before he stood waiting for Kaguya to move first. _Good boy, _Kaguya thought to herself, liking his obedience, but knew that it would be better to express kindness rather than pride at this time. "Go on," she said, "Feel free to move first."

Salathiel and his servant were out of the box in seconds. Then it would be Verena, followed directly by Kaguya and the line of her other servants. Before she had even been gone from the senate room for five seconds, a familiar face approached her. The dark blue and black of the LSDF was present, this time with the embroidering and symbols of a Major General. The figure deeply bowed to the princess, staying there until Kaguya gave her permission to rise, which did not take any time at all.

Toyohime looked at Kaguya Houraisan. The girl, once a princess, had no other titles now, besides the military one which she disliked so much. While she had bowed, the girl clearly did not have _that _much respect. She looked rather content, but a hint of annoyance was in her face.

"Ms. Houraisan," she said. Her tone told Kaguya that the bow had been to show her reverence to an individual of higher social status than her own, and because she had to, not because she wanted to.

"Toyohime," Kaguya said softly. Sure, Kaguya was an exile, but the woman before her had been stripped of everything. Perhaps they were equals, but perhaps Toyohime's instinct to bow was just natural after a few months of being around nobles and high officials.

"I have yet to confer with my sister, but I have concluded our course of action for the time being." Toyohime said, face flat.

"And what is it?" Kaguya truly could not read Toyohime that deeply. All she could do was stand there and wait for the reply. She also could not predict the girl's actions that well. For the five seconds in between her question and the reply, an unnatural tension filled the air.

"We shall remain neutral for the time being, but we shall be keeping as best an eye as we can on you. If you do anything that goes against what you have established, you can expect us to change for the worse." Toyohime said, before bowing once again. She was walking away before any reply had been issued from Kaguya.

However, she would not have liked it. Kaguya's cheeks spread as her mouth curved into a full smile. "We win, at least for now."

Before her maids could ask, she explained. "The Watatsukis will stand down for the moment. That means that I can pull off at least one major move without them condemning me publically. If we win their trust back after one more major move, then we'll have a solid advantage."

Yui was now approaching Kaguya, walking straight towards her as the once-princess turned around. "What was that in there?!" she shouted, Serafima to her right as she stormed towards Kaguya. "Why did you do all that?!"

Kaguya bowed her head to Yui, "I did what I did so that I could establish my position. As intended, the once-Watatsukis are going to stand down. We will not have to worry about them for some time. If you give me the-"

"Quiet!" Yui said, her anger overpowering, "We are supposed to be the good ones here! You think that gained you any allies in there?!"

"It was not intended to," Kaguya said, "As I stated before, this may, and it will in fact, end with the defeat of one side. We can't make the Purists our friends. We have to demolish them. And in there, I called them out, and hopefully they are questioning themselves even now."

Yui was going to say more, but she was interrupted. It was the lady in blue, the one who had been next to Kaguya on the way here. "Your highness Kagome," she said, her tone incredibly respectful, and her wording and language as polite as possible without being disrespectful and sarcastic, "Perhaps that we should give Ms. Houraisan a chance. You are the one who brought her up here to help you, surely you did not consider her to be your little dog?"

Sighing, Yui was forced to agree with the girl. "Well," Yui said, "You are being asked to attend a conference with the media. It will not hurt us seriously if you don't go, but I…leave it to you to decide."

"I shall," Kaguya said. She walked away as Yui led her, while the lady in blue walked at her side. "What is your name?" Kaguya asked the girl.

"Caohime," the girl replied, "Caohime Kiorsta. Not exactly noble, but I used to be military before I managed to get elected to the senate."

"You're military?" Kaguya asked. She thought for a few seconds, as Yui led them all down the steps. She turned to Verena, who was to her right side. She reached out with her finger, tapping the girl on the pinky of her right hand. Verena nodded, and then tapped the girl behind her, Janessa. She tapped Aksinya, who almost panicked for a few seconds, before she tapped Sabina. Sabina to Nalini, then to Yukiko.

Yukiko would then gently lean her head forwards, and whisper the words, "Please speak to the princess after this is all over." Caohime smiled at the slyness of the entire maneuver, before she broke away.

Yui led Kaguya into a rather small room. It was filled with seats for the gathered news personnel. Kaguya knew the standard procedure for the media. Technically, the media could be blocked from any government proceedings, but that would lose face. One had to be careful to avoid sessions that could potentially do serious damage, while still attending the majority.

She knew that this was a huge risk she was taking, going to one now. She had little understanding of what the general population wanted or liked, so she felt that there was a high chance of her failing. Kaguya turned to her maids as she stood on the podium at the front of the room, "Stand behind me." Again, standard procedure back in the day.

Yui would stand close to Kaguya's side, but still back a bit. Kaguya took a deep breath, then said, "Well, come on, ask away. But do be orderly about it, raise your hands, don't be a bunch of children now." She spoke in a voice that combined kindness and persuasion with a humorous tone, and sure enough, there was no barrage of shouted questions. The reporters raised their hands, and Kaguya started to work through them all.

The first few were quite mundane. They asked Kaguya to recount her experiences on the Earth, so she gave them a heavily abridged version of it. She removed all the parts specifically dealing with Mokou, only mentioning some rival she had. She had a strong feeling that somehow, the other immortal would get herself involved in all this, so Kaguya could not deny Mokou's existence outright.

One asked if she had any romantic relationships. She replied to that with a no. Then one asked if she had any sexual relations on the Earth. She chuckled at the question, despite the obvious seriousness of the one asking it.

There was a single hard-hitting strike in there. One that she did not see coming. It was a violet-haired girl. She did not seem to be part of any major group. "Ms. Houraisan, you have that honor guard with you, and you make many suggestions about the old times being better. I would honestly, and this is no personal offense to you I hope, propose that you are not at all blinded by your time on the Earth. In fact, you are blinded by the time spent in the old world. You haven't grown up, continuing to act in the old ways. I admit your speech was quite rousing, unlike any I used to hear, but who says you didn't just learn how to appeal to us with some quick research. ?"

Kaguya knew that her response had to be immediate, within the window. The window she thought of was what she named the window of response timing. One could not answer too fast after a question was asked. If they did, they were answering too fast and had something to hide. One had to wait till just the right time, to show that they were perhaps not expecting the question, but were still able to calmly reply. She timed her reply perfectly. "Well, Miss…?"

"Lacia Ailyodus," the girl replied.

"Miss Ailyodus," Kaguya said, using the question and response to buy herself some time. "I have to say that you make a very interesting accusation, but what is the point of it. Let's say, hypothetically, that I was blinded by the old times, looking through tinted glasses of nostalgia? So what?"

"What would the problem be, exactly? I remember that back in the old times, there was no need for this tension. Even after the first invasion, we didn't really tear ourselves apart like we do now. Something has fundamentally changed in the way the Moon works, and I think that it has gotten off course in the past hundreds of years. I do not mean that as a personal offense either. In fact, I think that we are moving in a direction that could be seen as good, but we need something to guide us besides our hatred towards the Earth."

"And you want to become this guide?" Lacia asked, "A princess cast out for a thousand years wants to come back and take all her power back?"

Kaguya won. With that single sentence the girl uttered, Kaguya won. "First of all," Kaguya reminded the reporter, "I'm no princess. Please, do not use that title, and elevate me to a position where I do not belong." The dark-haired girl smiled, before she continued, "Secondly, who said I wanted my power back? Who said I wanted to become that guide? Maybe I just want to put the right people in power. First, you called me something I'm not, then made an assumption. I would back down right now if I were you, Lacia."

The reporter nodded, asking nothing more, but then Kaguya realized she hadn't won. The girl had been humiliated, and the look on her face told Kaguya that she would be back for revenge at some point. The dark-haired girl, dressed in all her finery, clenched her fists tight, slowly retracting her arms downwards from the podium so as to not expose the action.

A few more questions were asked, but none came close to the blow that almost landed in a critical area. The meeting ended quickly, with the night growing old, and everyone wanting to get home to their beds.

Kaguya would exit the room with her maids to find Chie. The rabbit bowed her head to Kaguya, before handing her a small note. Kaguya frowned as the rabbit, her medium-length velvet hair swishing behind her, scampered away into the throngs of people.

Kaguya unfolded the piece of paper, and read what it said. _I imagine that meeting in person now would expose our closer partnership, so please contact me when we return to the mansion. It would be best if we do not take the same shuttle back as well. I apologize if this is not what you wanted. _

Kaguya slowly curled the piece of paper into a ball. The skin of her hand glowed barely as energy coursed through her curling fist. The paper was vaporized by the energy she conveyed, as the princess's face spread into a grin. She let out a loud laugh, purely of delight and amusement.

Her maids seemed concerned, till a slight shake of her head after she finished stayed their hands. "That man…" Kaguya said, then in a low voice, "He will be the greatest thorn in my side…"

She turned to Verena, who stepped close as if the two were linked to each other's minds. "Please," Kaguya said, "Make sure that Salathiel doesn't get any big ideas, at least remind me to make sure of that in the future." The words were low enough so that no other could hear.

"Of course, Kaguya," Verena said. Then the once-princess would turn and head to exit the building, moving as quickly as possible without looking like she was straight out running from the place. She was truly disgusted, but she felt strange as well.

She would have to converse with someone later, most likely Verena. Kaguya had fond memories of the maid, dating back to her early childhood. After all, the once-princess was a good thousand years younger than the loyal girl.

Kaguya, with her strange feelings of success and melancholy, would return to the mansion of her other old friend unsure of what she truly wanted anymore. _Do I still want to save these people? _Was the question she asked herself, till she realized that she had just had more fun than she'd had in ages.

_No, _she thought solemnly, as she felt the sick, perverse joy that she had always taken from this role. Politics had always been a great excitement.

And what better place to apply that excitement than saving two worlds?

* * *

**When I referred to the dream world last time, it was cause someone asked if I'd played through the Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom demo, and stage 3 takes place in the newly-introduced Dream World, so I figured I'd mention how the new stuff will affect this story. **

**Not really much else to say this time. Except for the fact I actually just realized that this whole chapter is one continuous sequence. **


	10. Night of Secrets, Morning of Resolution

Caohime lifted a glass of wine to her lips. She had to approve of the taste of the fine drink. It was from the personal cellar of the Princess Kagome, and it was certainly one of the better drinks she had ever had the pleasure of having throughout her long life.

The balcony she stood was high up in the mansion, looking out through the edge of the forest at the plains beyond. And rising above the fertile land beyond the massive structure was the bright green and blue globe that had been given the name of Earth by its inhabitants.

The sight of that majestic place, massive in comparison to the Moon, yet still so tiny and young, almost enhanced the taste of her drink. Currently, she looked at a dark side of the Earth, understandable given that the Moon being drenched in dark. The cycles of day and night were the same as on Earth. It made no sense scientifically, and the Lunarians knew that it was because of the magical field that hid their civilization, and the fertile place it was on, from the Earth.

It didn't necessarily move the sun, it just bended light in the proper way to allow for the cycles to be normal. Otherwise, just living on the place would be nearly impossible. Much less creating a thriving civilization.

Caohime wondered when her promised date would arrive. A small chuckling sound escaped her lips as she thought of it like that. Certainly a meeting with a disowned princess could not be considered a date. _Well, given the lengths she's gone to ensure that our meeting is private and unnoticed, she's either in love or she wants me on her side. _Caohime wondered which one she would find more agreeable, when she heard the door behind her open.

Kaguya paused as the door was shut behind her by her maid's hands. The princess was still dressed up with every piece of clothing she had on when she had gone to the senate meeting. She stared for a few seconds at Caohime, admiring the simplicity the former military women expressed with her clothing.

A simple blue gown went from her neck to her ankles What looked like ornate boots were on her feet, obviously taking inspiration from military combat boots, but also much, much prettier than the standard equipment would be. The gown she wore was actually sleeveless, so she wore a vest, somewhat Chinese-inspired, of a black hue over her chest, while elbow-length gloves of dark blue covered the fair skin of her arms. A short, light blue scarf, translucent in terms of thickness, was around her neck.

It was nothing like the ornate outfit that Kaguya wore, but then again, Caohime didn't seem to be one for large displays. From what Kaguya could tell, the woman was much more suited to more private dealings. Not speaking in the oppressive house that was the Senate.

"Good evening," Caohime said, as the clock sat only eleven minutes from the end of the day. Kaguya approached, taking a deep breath as she escaped from claustrophobic atmosphere of the party. It was not as if she had never been around so many people before, she could vividly remember the many parties that Remilia had thrown, then insisted enough so that Eirin would drag even Kaguya out.

It was the fact that she now had to be serious. A single mistake could spell the downfall of her entire effort, and Kaguya had not come so far to mess up before twenty-four hours had even passed.

Kaguya only nodded as she came to stand beside Caohime, arms resting idly on the railing. She looked out at the world in front of her, specifically aiming her gaze at the Earth. "What does that place mean to you?" Kaguya asked. She paused while Caohime opened her mouth, only to interrupt, "When I say the word Earth, what is the first word that comes to your mind?"

It was a dangerous question to answer. It could spell the difference between the conversation starting off well, and Kaguya leaving this instant. "Impure," Caohime answered.

"A waste of my time," the words would escape Kaguya's lips as her quick gait took her back towards the doors. The sizable balcony was covered in a couple seconds by the angered princess.

"The first word that comes to one's mind is not always the word that they would have thought of given time. It is more often the word that everyone else uses to refer to whatever they were asked about." Caohime barely turned around, only glancing over her shoulder.

Kaguya slowed down as she went on her final approach, not even replying to that. "I do not see it as impure," Caohime said, "In fact, I would say that it…it is a place that deserves to be saved from destruction. Perhaps you have bigger plans for it, but the people there don't need to die."

Kaguya paused, right as she was about to tap the door. The result was that she would have been sucked back into the whirlwind that was the interior of the mansion. She said nothing, simply standing there.

"Please," Caohime said, "Kaguya, don't just storm off like a fool." Kaguya, unable to be seen by Caohime, smiled.

The smile had died out by the time she turned around. "There," she said, "We avoided all the games." Her journey back to the place she had occupied before was swift.

She spoke as she walked. "Perhaps we can come to an agreement."

"What kind of an agreement?" Caohime asked.

"An agreement where you agree to help me," Kaguya said, "Because that is what I need. You are obviously good at what you do, you were in the military. I need someone connected with that side of the Moon."

"I'm not going to become your little dog," Caohime said, "I'm not like Salathiel. He's some young fool, obsessed with the tale of the great Princess Kaguya." Her eyes narrowed on Kaguya, "I'm no fool, so perhaps you should explain to me what exactly you want from me."

A tired sigh came from Kaguya. "This is an interesting game we're playing," she said, "I had hoped to avoid that."

Caohime turned to face Kaguya fully, eyes focusing on the princess. "You want me to become your dog," the senator said, "You don't want my help, you want my loyalty. Don't think I haven't done my research on your past."

"That's just a low blow," Kaguya whispered, before she too turned to face Caohime fully. Stepping forwards, perhaps a bit too aggressively, she leaned in. "And don't think I haven't done my research on yours? You think I can't do something with that?"

She had done no research. It had been easy to pull up everything on Salathiel with the time had. But she had been too distracted on the flight back to even truly understand everything Verena was telling her about Caohime. She had no idea if the senator truly had skeletons in her closet, or if she was the shining example of purity.

But her words had been spoken with such intensity and threat that it did not matter, for Caohime took them seriously. She was obviously fazed, but she held her ground well. "Threatening me isn't going to make me like you. I suppose you could blackmail me, but I doubt you would take the risk." To show her disgust, she didn't even meet the girl's eyes, turning away and looking up at the Earth once more. "We want to save the same place, but you-"She was interrupted.

Kaguya's breath was on her ear. The dark-haired girl was quite close to Caohime. "You think I wouldn't take the risk?" She asked. The tone of her voice was rather concerning for Caohime to hear.

Kaguya was daring the senator to deny her. If she did, then Kaguya would have to find another way to approach. But as it was, Caohime simply said, "No,"

"Right," Kaguya agreed, "Because there is no risk, because I could destroy you." Her bluffing was so genuine that Caohime seemed to be beginning to be terrified.

"You want me as your slave," Caohime said, "I'll never agree to that."

Kaguya leaned away, stepping back as she did. "I never said I want a slave, but I never said I want someone with too much control over their own situation. I want someone who is loyal to me, and only me."

"Do you think I am willing to do that?" Caohime asked.

"You are," Kaguya said. "Do you know what I just did to you?"

"Lied through your teeth?" Caohime replied, "Bluffed like a master about skeletons I don't have?"

"Exactly," Kaguya had never expected the bluffing to actually succeed. If Caohime had other motivations, then she would have walked away and told Yui all about this. As it was, the senator had stayed and listened.

"You also called me back when I was leaving," Kaguya said, "You were playing a game the whole time. You just want to make sure I'm smart enough to keep up with you."

"You are," Caohime said, "So what's in it for me?"

"We'll save the Earth. Any other benefits…well, you'll have to wait for that," Kaguya explained, "But otherwise, I think this is a good deal."

"That's all I get?" Caohime asked. Kaguya turned around, facing the door once more.

"You'll get more," Kaguya promised, "But as I said, I can't be too loose with my leash." _The leash you willingly placed on yourself, _Kaguya thought, happy to gain such tow loyal and intelligent people so early on. Her luck had been splendid so far, even though she knew for a fact that both Salathiel and Caohime would stab her in the back at some point in the future, no matter how distant.

Walking towards the door, she called back, "You have been playing this game for a long time, but I have been playing it for longer, remember that."

The reply, "True, but I did not take a thousand-year hiatus."

* * *

"I never said this game had to be politics specifically," Kaguya said, as the door opened before her, and the sounds of the party spilled out for a brief few seconds. When they were silenced, Caohime would draw in and release a deep breath, wondering what she was doing, but perhaps enjoying it nonetheless.

Salathiel stood alone in a dark room. It was around the basement area of the Kagome mansion. The door was knocked on, then someone entered. There was absolutely no light. Salathiel had no idea who entered, only hoping that it was Kaguya, due to Chie standing watch outside.

"Hello," Kaguya said, standing near the door, before carefully approaching towards Salathiel, standing in the middle of the wine storage room. "What do you have for me?"

"I asked around, and most of the negotiators were shocked by that move. A few of the more aggressive ones liked it, but they are more motivated by messages of destroying the purists."

"We can't advertise that," Kaguya said, "We'll get rid of those ones in due time, or at least shut them up. There was a third man with a bunch around him. There was you, because you're smart, there was Caohime, because she's strong-willed, and who was the third?"

"Alzazir Koachikoi," Salathiel replied.

"I remember him, where does he stand?"

"Not on our side. He's most likely in this for more personal reasons. However, he does have a large amount of power and-"

"We'll get rid of him," Kaguya declared.

"But ma'am, he's useful, he has-"

"I do not wish to associate myself with a man who has that much power yet no compassion for the Earth. We will find a way to rid this party of that fool."

"He is no fool," Salathiel warned, "It may not be easy."

"It will be," Kaguya promised, "But what else do you have?"

"For the most part, the party is rather neutral on what you did. There are unsure, and while your actions may have been a bit too aggressive for them, the friend making that you have been doing in the past few hours should help with that. You don't even need to be too nice, just show that you're not crazy or tainted."

Kaguya moved closer in the dark. Salathiel was almost being trapped in the corner by the princess. He backed away, finding her approach rather discomforting. "Is that all?" Kaguya asked, sounding disappointed.

"Yes," Salathiel said, unsure of what to do, "There is no one else who you would find to your liking. I will do my best to dig deeper into their personalities, as I don't know everyone's opinions on the Earth."

"Well you know what I want now, so this should not be too difficult," Kaguya said, "I'll go first, then you follow. You know what time is the right to return at, so make sure you're not missed by anyone."

Salathiel gulped, then nodded. The princess turned around, moving towards the door. It opened, letting the barest scrap of light in for the briefest second before she was gone and the door was closed.

Salathiel was left alone, both scared and excited.

* * *

The party, which had been to celebrate Kaguya's acceptance, had continued until the earliest hours of the morning. Kaguya found herself entering her room around one-thirty, only Verena following her. The other maids had already gone to sleep, but the eldest of them all was still following the person she would gladly call princess if Kaguya did not demand that she did not.

The door was shut as Kaguya approached her wardrobe, pausing and waiting for Verena's assistance. She remembered how she had missed the maid for a long while when she was first on the Earth. She had adapted, by becoming lazy.

The girl began to help with the undressing of the princess, till Kaguya was stripped down to her underwear. The room was still dark, the lights not having been turned on. Some came in from outside, but nothing more than that. Verena and Kaguya's eyes met.

"Did you miss me?" Kaguya asked, suddenly feeling concern for the girl. She saw a certain light in the maid's eyes, a light that she had not seen all day, and one she had not seen for a long, long time.

"Of course I did," Verena hide her true words.

"Did you want to come with me?" Kaguya asked, "Would that have been better for you?"

Verena was silent. Afraid to speak. Kaguya stepped forward, embracing the girl, "Just speak your mind."

"You insisted I stay here, but I would have been much happier with milady." Inadvertently, she slipped into the way she had addressed Kaguya for thousands of years in the past.

"Do you hate me for it?" Kaguya asked, pain in her voice, "Stranding you here all alone for so long?"

"I could never hate milady," Verena said, "I thank her, for insisting that I…I…" She collapsed into Kaguya's arms, crying softly. Kaguya knelt down, holding Verena close to her.

"I'm sorry, milady," Verena said, her voice soft and low, "I'm sorry for crying, for burdening you with my sorrow."

"There is no need to apologize for that," Kaguya said, holding her maid even tighter. "Please, cry as much as you want. Just speak your mind."

"If I spoke my mind, milady would have me removed from her service. I would rather keep my words and feelings to myself, then leave her side." Verena said.

Kaguya understood. She looked into Verena's eyes, the orbs clouded by tears. "I will never remove you from my service again…" She promised.

"Even when you go back to the Earth?" Verena asked, "You can't avoid that fact. You can't stay here forever. You'd have to reform the entire society, and a single lady without anything can't do that. Maybe one of the ruling triumvirate could, but otherwise, you'll be lucky to stop a war."

"I know," Kaguya said, "And…and I will bring you back!" She declared, her own eyes tearing up, "I will bring you back to the Earth, when I eventually go."

Verena's arms came to embrace her princess, "Promise?" she asked.

"I swear on…" Kaguya's life was meaningless.

"I understand," Verena said, grinning a little at Kaguya's mistake. She did her best to stand, but found that she was too tired to do so.

Kaguya stood quickly to support her, "Go and get some sleep," Kaguya said, "We'll have to start moving even tomorrow."

"Do you want to execute the plan?" Verena asked. She still had tears in her eyes, but she was dedicated enough to ignore them.

"Get some sleep," Kaguya said. It was an order this time.

"The timetable demands we start now." The maid, seemingly young, replied. Kaguya wondered why there was this disloyalty coming from the maid, then realized that Verena was more sensible than Kaguya in many situations.

"Fine, do it," Kaguya said, "If we must." Over the course of the last few hours, Kaguya and Verena had shared small conversations, piecing together a plan for the next few days.

"I'll be back soon, as you know," Verena said, as she went towards the door and walked out. Kaguya could see the girl's eyes glittering as she left, moon, no, earthlight, reflecting off the moisture.

But she would put on a strong face and wipe the tears away as she went off. Kaguya wished that things could be different. She wanted, _needed, _to have a deeper conversation with the girl. But that was a conversation she would not get for some time.

Still in her underwear, Kaguya would get into her bed. Closing her eyes, she would do her best to be as close to sleep as possible. Anyone checking would think she was sleeping.

Her five sacred items sat on the nightstand next to the bed. They were unmoving, lifeless. Behind Kaguya, at the other end of the room, were a few windows, currently unshrouded. But they were completely proof against any kind of weapon or device that could be easily carried by hand.

And anything else would surely be detected by the mansion's extensive security systems.

* * *

Kaguya opened her eyes to find the clock reading two-o-five in the morning. She had some trouble getting any kind of sleep. There was no noise, save the sound of her breath. Taking a deeper breath, she leapt from the bed, her five objects flying up around herself.

A circular shield of energy flared up in front of herself, deflecting the stream of gunfire which came through the windows. A flight of missiles followed the bright rounds of plasma, detonating against the shield. Laser beams would follow, having the same result as Kaguya kept her magic high.

She held her arm out, her jeweled branch floating into the grasp of her fingers, and there was a magnificent flash, like the bright glare of the sun at midday. Outside the window was a small craft. It was about a meter tall, and was equipped with a pair of rotary plasma guns, as well as four lasers and a brace of missile pods. It was hovering on its own, and was shielded. All thanks to magic that so much could be packed into something was smaller than Kaguya.

And from her outstretched item came a brilliant beam of her own. The shield was blasted away with a single shot, as her objects glowed brightly. The drone was still there, but before it could return fire, the door burst open.

Verena leapt in, weapon already being pulled off of her back. She held a large sniper rifle in her hands. The weapon was fired, and the suppressed sound of the shot was nothing thanks to the magic silencers. The hypervelocity, ultradense, high-explosive round tore into the middle of the drone before detonating.

The thing swerved about briefly, before plummeting to the ground below. Kaguya looked to Verena, the maid nodding. "The security systems were shut down," Verena said, "That was not detected, but that of course means that there is someone working for the Purists in the mansion."

Kaguya nodded, "So now all we need to do is figure out who goes first…" she said, as the other maids ran into the room. The commotion would last for a couple hours more, with Yui becoming quite concerned. However, due to the other senators save Salathiel all having left, the story was suppressed.

It was released slowly the next day, and the incident was handled perfectly. Kaguya made no comments, but Yui's PR team did a splendid job of blaming some rather extremist groups who could not be proven as connected to the main body of the Purists.

Kaguya would slip back into her bed, desperate for a few hours more of rest. It would only be long after the sun had risen that she would wake once again.

* * *

She awoke to the sound of her door gently being knocked on. Kaguya was a light sleeper, so her eyes were open as one of her maids entered. Aksinya stood there, nodded her head slightly, before saying, "Your-Mil-Kaguya…" it took her a bit to find the right word. "Salathiel has arranged a meeting with his sister per your request. She expects you at three this afternoon. It is ten before twelve presently."

Kaguya sighed, "Bring me something to eat, please, I'm going to go take a bath."

"Would you like me to run one for you?" Aksinya asked. She had more confidence in her voice now. Kaguya found it strange, the girl sounding so different from the night before. _She was clearly scared last night, but not anymore. Why would she be scared of me? _As the Lunarian forced herself out of bed, she dropped the issue.

"No need," Kaguya replied, "But send Verena in, I need to speak with her."

"She shall bring your food," Aksinya said, shutting the door as she exited. Kaguya went into the large bathroom she had, and went to run the water of the bath. She turned it up rather hot, and she undressed as the water filled the sizable tub, having enough space to easily contain up to three or four people.

Kaguya stepped in as the water rose, settling into the warmth of the liquid. She had not had access to such easy methods for a long time, of course. It was not that she had never taken a bath for a thousand years, it was more that she had not done it in such luxury.

She felt a pang of guilt, enjoying such pleasures while everyone else she knew was down on the Earth. But Eirin would have been welcomed even less than Kaguya, and Reisen could not come back. Tewi may have liked it, but she was a different case from the others. Mokou…Mokou probably would have scoffed, then used Kaguya's luxurious state to insult the girl.

The door opened slowly, Verena obviously afraid to enter with Kaguya in her current state of undress. She was using what Kaguya wanted to be called now. "Kaguya?" She asked, "May I?"

"Of course,"

The maid entered, averting her eyes from Kaguya's form as she placed the food down on the side of the tub. The fully set plate lay there with the utensils wrapped in a napkin. A glass of water sat to the side. "Shall I leave now?" Verena said, her ability to not take a single look at Kaguya amazing.

"No," Kaguya said softly, "We need to talk."

Verena did not ask what. She simply stood there, eyes facing straight ahead, staring at the wall. But Kaguya did not take the lead. She sat there, arms moving to the side of the tub, not really touching her food.

"I…" Kaguya didn't know how to start the conversation that she had been wanting so badly. She just closed her mouth, knowing that Verena would already know.

"You miss the Earth," Verena said, observing without looking that Kaguya would not be the first one to speak. "You want to go back there."

"I'm sorry," The reply was low, as if she was being watched. Shame filled her voice, as Kaguya could barely admit to something that Verena could do nothing but consider the crime.

"I will follow whatever you believe," Verena promised.

"But what do you think of the Earth?" Kaguya asked desperately. This was the only person she could trust to speak seriously with on this matter, but the maid was only going to support Kaguya. "I want to know your opinion!"

"It has been some six thousand years since I was not in the service of another," Verena said, absolutely straightly, without any sorrow. "I have learned to not have my own opinions." It was no sad story. No tragedy of a girl forced to work. Verena loved it. She loved serving others.

And perhaps Kaguya forgot that thanks to her time on the Earth. Given another second, she would have stood up in rage, demanding to know why Verena did this to herself. Then she remembered something back on the planet that she had come to see as more of a home than her actual home.

_That maid of the vampire's…Sakuya was her name, right? _The princess had always gotten an impression of Verena from that girl. A loyal servant who was practically her master's slave, save for the fact that she did not mind it at all.

So Kaguya relaxed herself, letting a sigh escape her lips. "But Verena…" Kaguya's voice trailed off, "I…"

"You like it here again," Verena said. "I saw it in your eyes. Coming here, going to the senate, you were sad to be back. But after that speech, after all that you did afterwards…you remembered why you loved it back here. Why you loved the old, old days. Before we entered this so-called Age of Purity." It was a perfect summary of Kaguya's feelings.

"It can never go back to that," Kaguya said, "But in a real way, that reporter girl was correct. I am stuck back in the distant past…"

"Do not worry," Verena said, "You will do fine. You already have. Find a few more friends, and all will be well."

Kaguya ignored the words of reassurance. She felt them hurt her more than help her. "What am I to do?" she wondered, "I'm torn between the Earth, and a time on the Moon in the past. I can't save anyone like this…" She almost felt like her complaints were too loud, like she was being too dramatic.

The once-princess knew she was being far too dramatic for the situation. She could have just asked. Verena grinned. "Kaguya, you will persevere. I know you will. You managed to find your way on the Earth for so long, so I know that you can stand here perfectly fine. The Moon of the distant past is not what we need to return to, but the Moon of the more recent past is what we must seek to return to. I know that you know that."

Kaguya had started to eat. Slowly, her food had made it into her mouth. But after Verena finished speaking, she slowly placed down the utensils. She looked up at the maid, eyes furrowed into a sorrowful glare. "Verena…" she said, "Please, look at me."

Verena could not disobey an order, so look down she did. And she saw a princess at the verge of tears. Kaguya knocked over the plate of food as she sprawled onto the side of the tub, tears running from her eyes. Verena knelt down, cradling Kaguya's head as she cried.

The maid held her master gently. "You will always have me," Verena promised, but her words sounded empty. "Always,"

Kaguya had no answer. "Verena," she said, "Please…please forgive me."

"What must I forgive you for?" Verena asked, voice soft and sweet. "You have done nothing wrong."

"Don't think I don't know you," Kaguya chocked out through her tears. "I'm sorry I left you behind. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't know how many times I must say the words until you have forgiven me."

She continued to say the two words over and over again, while Verena kept holding her. The maid sat there, her face flat and empty, as Kaguya apologized over and over again.

"Please," Verena insisted, "Stop. You will only make yourself tired." Kaguya tore herself away from Verena, backing away to the rear of the bathtub. Huddling up there, she looked at Verena with tears in her eyes.

"I shall make you some more food," Verena decided, standing up. "I shall return-"

"What do you want from me?!" Kaguya shouted, "Tell me, and I'll give it to you!"

"You cannot give what I want from you," Verena replied.

"What do you want from me?!" Kaguya repeated.

"I want you to go somewhere where you don't have to suffer anymore, and I want you to take me with you." Verena said. "I want to see you happy, Kaguya. For years and years before you were banished, you weren't happy. I have not seen you truly happy for a long time. You found some brief joy in your return to the world of politics, but I can tell that was mostly false."

"But as long as you are here, you will never have that. I at least want you to be happy, but now that you're back, you won't be able to leave for a long time."

Kaguya froze. "So you want to be…with me?"

"Being at your side was my duty for five thousand years," Verena said, "But you tore that away from me! It was my reason to exist! You didn't just leave me behind, you left me for dead! You should have just killed me!" The maid was crying now, standing at the edge of the tub, fists clenched.

"I would never do such a thing to you," Kaguya said.

"I understand that now," Verena said, "Because your cold soul is only capable of acts far worse than simple murder…" The maid meant the words completely. In the next instant, she was wiping away her tears, and a bright, happy demeanor was back on her face.

"I shall go get some more food, Kaguya. You should eat up, as you have much to attend to." She turned around.

"Verena, stop," Kaguya ordered. The girl stopped as ordered. Kaguya moved to the edge of the water, almost getting out. "You know you won't be with me forever, right?" Kaguya asked. "I'm immortal, I'll outlive you."

"I will," Verena promised, "Just give me the elixir, I'll gladly drink it."

"That is kind of you, but…I'll never let you." Kaguya said.

Verena nodded. Nothing more. "Because you don't deserve the pain," Kaguya said, "Of waking up some days and wondering what the end will be like."

"You're lucky, knowing that you will die. For me, the fear is not when I will die, the fear is if I will die. Do you want that forced upon you?" Kaguya asked.

"No," Verena admitted. It was a shameful admission. Words that she most certainly did not want to say. "But I know that it is possible to remove any chance of death through natural means by taking only a single sip, so why not that?"

Kaguya could not prevent that from occurring at some point. She realized that she had no way of truly separating Verena from her. She stood up, moving forwards to embrace Verena from behind with her body, still wet from the bath. The maid flinched, but accepted it. Kaguya could tell the girl was obviously restraining herself. Most likely restraining herself from just walking away.

"Why do you want to rid yourself of me?" Verena asked, "I only ask to be at your side forever."

"But you want me to be happy," Kaguya said, "I can't do that all the time."

"So at least pretend," Verena begged, "Please, show me some sign that you care about me…sometimes…just serving you, just being there, it's not enough…"

"Do you really hate me?" Kaguya asked.

Verena could not lie. But she was afraid to tell the truth. Yet a question asked by her master was one she would answer. "Yes, I despise you for leaving me behind. All I've ever wanted is to make you happy. To put a smile on your face. From the time I was first with you when you were but a child, I was doing my best to do just that. And I was rewarded by being forced to stay here, while you left me."

Kaguya let go of Verena, the maid's clothing now all wet. "Thank you for speaking your mind," Kaguya said. "I…neither words nor actions could express how much I thank you for everything you have done for me, and how sorry I am for what I have done to you."

"You're right," Verena said.

"Then I shall always try to make it up to you," Kaguya said. "I guess I have the rest of forever, so perhaps I can make it up somehow in that time."

"…Maybe," Verena said. She turned around, revealing the look of sorrow on her face. "Just promise me this one thing…"

"What?"

"You'll never leave me?"

Kaguya took the girl's hands, "Let's say that we were to replace that eternity with an eternity in hell, would that be enough to punish me for leaving you behind again?"

"Multiple eternities," Verena added, then cracked a bit of a grin, "But otherwise, yes, I think that would be fitting."

Kaguya smiled. She was still entirely naked in front of her maid. But the girl had seen her like this countless times before. Kaguya didn't mind. Verena didn't mind. "I think I shall go see the others, and sort things out with Yui."

Verena smiled, "I'll help you dress,"

The maid was not entirely happy, but she was not entirely sad. Kaguya was not entirely happy, but she was not entirely sad. Both were stuck in a limbo of sorts.

* * *

**I've got nothing. I suppose a lot of characters will be coming in soon, so there's that/ **


	11. Meetings of Equals and Unequals

Reisen's eyes flickered open. She woke with a start. Her head swung around wildly, looking all around the room. She immediately identified her surroundings as normal. She felt a weight on her. Two weights, actually.

Looking down, her eyes found Eirin Yagokoro, seated in a stool to the side of the bed, but with her head laying on Reisen's lap. The other weight was Tewi Inaba, who was curled up around Reisen's straight legs. Both were asleep, obviously tired from the events of the previous night.

Reisen found herself dressed in a hospital gown. Her hands went to her eyes, finding them to be perfectly intact. She shuddered as the moment of her death came back to her. As she shifted due to this flinch, the Lunarian lying on her stirred. Eirin's eyes came open, and she instantly smiled upon seeing Reisen alive and well.

Jumping up to embrace the Lunar Rabbit, Eirin crushed the startled rabbit. Eirin's breathing was fast, and she said, "Thank the gods for your safety!" The doctor was truly delighted.

Reisen was amazed by this. "I thought you'd be mad…" she said, knowing that Eirin was not always the kindest person when Reisen messed up at times.

"Nonsense," Eirin said, "I would never be mad at you."

"But why…?"

"Because you're mentally unstable," Eirin said, letting go of the rabbit, but staying close by, "It's only my fault that you decided to commit suicide."

The rabbit looked to the side, a bit ashamed. "Still, I should have talked…sooner."

"It's alright. You've a bad case of PTSD, so I can't exactly be mad at you for being unwilling to face the memories." Eirin smiled brightly.

Reisen understood. She figured that she was suffering from it, during the few brief moments over time when she'd been able to think about the past in a sensible manner. "Bad?"

"Yes," Eirin confirmed, "You're not in good shape. It's been getting worse and worse since you first came here. You haven't been willing to accept what happened to you."

Reisen nodded, then fully laid back down. She felt Tewi stir, and the rabbit immediately leapt up and wrapped her arms around Reisen's body, burying her face into her shoulder. "You're alive!" she shouted with joy. Reisen decided that maybe she was crazy, seeing as how Tewi was now embracing her with joy.

"The rabbit cares more than you think," Eirin said, "I needed someone to keep an eye on you, make sure you were distracted. I can't do anything if you won't admit it, so I sent Tewi in to keep you occupied most of the time."

"Oh," Reisen said, thinking about how much sense that made to her.

"I'll start doing what I can now, but…there's a problem,"

"What is it?"

Eirin sighed, as she took a few steps away, picking up something from a small metal table in the medical room. "Mokou wants to go up there to see Kaguya,"

"And I'm the only one who can take her," Reisen said, "But I won't. She'll only cause problems."

"No, she won't," Eirin denied the lunar rabbit, explaining as she came back, "Kaguya can spin Mokou's arrival to her advantage. An example of a pure human being would be helpful for her."

"And since she's a Hourai as well…" Reisen understood the idea.

"Exactly, Kaguya's most likely going to have to reveal the fact that she is an immortal like herself, but even then, Mokou was originally a human and is still from this planet."

"How's she going to act pure?" Reisen wondered, "They're not just going to take the fact that she can't be detected as impure as a good excuse."

"I'm going to start teaching her Lunarian," Eirin said, "The basics. I assume that you can help me be up to date with everything."

"I can," Reisen confirmed, "But how is she going to learn it? It's by no means something that's easy for a non-native speaker…especially someone from an entirely different planet and species."

"She seems determined, and she has a good reason to go up there."

"She hates Kaguya, and Kaguya hates her." Reisen frowned, "Doesn't seem like the best of reasons."

"But Mokou wants Kaguya back down here so they can hate each other in peace." Eirin almost laughed at that. "Which means that she'll be dedicated to helping Kaguya as much as she can." Eirin stood by Reisen's side as she spoke. She held a syringe in her hands, and slowly leaned in.

"There's an ulterior motive, right?" Reisen asked as Eirin leaned over her.

"Without a doubt," Eirin replied.

Tewi still grasped Reisen as the rabbit's arm was held up, and the syringe's contents injected into the rabbit. "This is a medication which will start to help out if you start feeling any kind of depression."

"When will Mokou be by?"

"This afternoon, but you need some rest. Tewi will take care of anything else," Eirin explained. "I need to go get ready for the immortal to arrive. Hopefully, she'll be going up in a week, do you think you can take her?"

"I'll go with her,"

"That's not an option," Eirin paused, looking over her shoulder, a serious look on her face.

"Kaguya needs someone who knows her way around the deeper military side of the LSDF. She will certainly find someone who is or was part of the LSDF, but she needs me if she wants to be really informed and safe. There's a lot I can do for her. Besides, I'm living proof that Black Ops actually exists, something that's been denied for just about forever." Reisen was dedicated.

"That is a risk," Eirin said, "A serious risk."

"I'll take it," Reisen declared, "I will go with Mokou,"

"If I approve you by that time, then you can figure out a way to join her when you go, but if not, then you find a way to drop her off and then safely return." Eirin said. Her tone made it clear that there was no room for complaining, so Reisen did not complain at all.

The doctor left the room, leaving Reisen behind with Tewi still embracing her. The lunar rabbit put a hand on the head of her earthly counterpart, softly petting the girl. "You really do like me? As a friend, not someone to bully?"

"Of course!" Tewi declared, "You're soft and comfy!" She pushed herself harder into Reisen.

Reisen felt that she was somehow being insulted, but she did not question the earth rabbit's words. She sat there, staring up at the ceiling, somewhat happy to be alive. She slipped into sleep almost instantly, as a wave of tiredness came and overwhelmed her in seconds. To the rabbit, it was like she blacked out in an instant.

Eirin leaned her head back into the room, and noticed Reisen was out. "Keep an eye on her," Eirin said. The rabbit had been injected with some various drugs to increase her energy levels. Theoretically, she should not have woken up for several more hours, maybe even days, but Eirin needed to confirm that she would help Mokou so that the instruction of the immortal could begin.

It wouldn't hurt Reisen. She only passed out because the drugs wore off, and her body had yet to get used to having a soul in it once again.

* * *

Kaguya walked down the stairs into the dining room. Her maids were lounging around in that space, or in the living room, besides Verena. They had nothing to do, with Kaguya having just awoken, and them being her personal maids. Yui, however, was present, and was sitting at the table waiting for her friend.

Serafima stood at her side, while Eleonore was not there. Kaguya saw another plate of food sitting in front of a seat across from Yui, and took that seat. Verena stood beside her, but Kaguya insisted she sit. "Kaguya," Yui said, tone serious and possibly a bit annoyed, "What are you doing today? I questioned your little chief of staff, and he says you are talking to his sister,"

"I am," Kaguya confirmed, "He told me about her, and it seems that she is a problem that needs to be resolved."

"In what way?" Yui asked.

"This does not leave this room, but she killed their eldest brother, and is now probably going to get Salathiel in trouble as she has already framed him, she just needs to present the case."

Yui cocked her head to the side, as if Kaguya was mad. "Do you know what kind of accusation that is?" She asked.

"A truthful one?" Kaguya was eating now. She was not too concerned, despite Yui's anger.

"We don't need this right now!" Yui said, "We're already trying to deal with the blowback from the incident last night! I've been combing this mansion's staff, trying to find the culprit, but since the incident came from the central security office, the list is large. I need you to do something, anything but not show up in public today!"

"Tell them I need to rest. I need this man's sister on our side," Kaguya explained. She put her utensil down, looking up at Yui. "Yui, you are absolutely wonderful at using words to your advantage, but your, our, party, has turned from another faction in the senate to the prime target for everyone. They realize that destroying you now means a big payoff from the Purists. And a lot of Lunarians are in politics these days for the money and power, not for being a good person. There are a lot people coming at us now, and I need to get as many of them on our side as possible. Salathiel's sister, having no reputation to uphold, will surely know many of these people. We get her on our side, and we start going places with that. No one cares about her, but she seems smart, I'm sure you get what I mean."

Yui understood, "We need to establish a base of power that is strong, before we go anywhere else."

"Exactly, we need to be completely defendable before we can move forwards. The Purists will tear us apart if someone else digs up some garbage about one of us. Also, we cannot win in the Senate due to their overwhelming majority, so the only option is to overpower them everywhere else. We win a lot of allies now, we can start pushing bills hard, and only hurt the Purists no matter what happens to the bills."

"Good idea," Yui said, "I'll provide transport to her mansion. Make sure you are back soon. Don't spend too much time gone."

"I understand," Kaguya said. She had eaten quite quickly, and was now almost done. She looked for the time. It was a little past one o'clock now, and she was expected at three. It would be a very short flight there, so she decided to retire now.

"I'll head up to my room," Kaguya said, "I need some time to study up on current laws and such."

"Of course," Yui said, "Be ready when it is time. I will handle the blowback from the attack."

The princess and the once-princess now walked off in different directions. Kaguya would enter her private library upstairs, taking her maids with her. She needed instruction from all of them in order to get a full grasp of current affairs.

Yui would go out and begin dealing with the torrent of questions from the entire rest of the Moon. The Negotiators were not exactly in a good position right now, worse than in a long time. The blowback from the accusations was high, with many saying that they were forged, and that the attack was faked.

The Purists tried to capitalize, but realized that would make it look like they were taking advantage of something they had possibly done in the eyes of the public. Indeed, most of the hard-hitting questions came from the media, with the common people backing the Negotiators as usual, while the military refused to investigate the incident.

It was just another great PR mess, but Yui was quite used to them. Any politician had to be used to them, whether they were of the Earth or the Moon.

* * *

The Moon was not very large. The magic of the place could synch day/night cycles with the Earth, increase gravity to an Earth normal, and create an atmosphere as well as standard weather patterns. However, it could not increase the size of the tiny rock.

It was not even the size of the continent of Asia, barely large enough to hold all its peoples. However, burrowing into the crust of the satellite did allow for additional space to be carved out. Colony projects in the past, both on the Jovian and Saturnine Moons as well as hidden space stations, had been successful but not really necessary, as the Last War had annihilated most of the Lunarian population. The result was that overcrowding was not a problem at all, even now. The population had just managed to climb back up to almost three hundred million, up from around one hundred and fifty million, thanks to long lifespans and general inactivity of the Lunarians.

So there had been plenty of room in which to rebuild after the end of the war. Everyone had plenty of space to live in. And though the Moon's size could not be changed, its landscape could be. Kaguya was aware that the elevation of the ground was increasing as the craft she was in flew towards the swelling of Salathiel's younger sister, a girl by the name of Nariari.

She was young, Kaguya knew that. She had met the girl before being banished, but the little thing had only been eight years of age then. She was still a child by Lunarian standards, but a child capable of much.

Verena was the only person accompanying Kaguya on the journey. Not a single other person was in the entire craft, given that the ship was automated. It was not difficult to program a drone to travel out a few hundred kilometers.

This small patch of elevated terrain raised about two kilometers above the ground at the highest, but the mansion in which the child lived was not that high. It sat at the edge of a secluded mountain lake, which Kaguya observed as she looked out the window.

A tiny path ran down into the lower mountains, but there was no way to actually access the lake with anything large, unless it was by air. Someone could walk in a single file line down the path, but it was clear that the intended method of access was the landing pad sitting beside the large structure.

The shuttle set itself down, and the doors came open. Verena glanced out the open door quickly, looking around. It was merely habit, and neither person didn't really expect any kind of ambush to be launched by the occupant of the mansion. However, it never hurt to be safe.

Kaguya would take the first steps down onto the stone surface of the designated area for the landing of craft. It was small, having enough room for only one shuttle of a small size. There were no others.

Kaguya looked around. The lake was over two hundred meters wide, and was in a roughly circular shape, satisfyingly devoid of any major bumps or disruptions. The mansion was of a regular size, but wider than it was long. The rest of the area around the lake was forest.

Paths seemed to cut through the forest, but Kaguya got a feeling that there was more in the woods than just plants and trees. _One can't waste a good position like this by not having a few batteries of something laden throughout the woods. _She shook her head, getting thoughts of hidden weapons out of her mind somewhat.

Verena was right behind her, waiting for Kaguya to move. She did, following the path down towards the mansion. A small dirt pathway led down the gentle slope towards the front of the mansion. The once-princess had changed into different clothes. She could not keep wearing the same robes she did on Earth.

She was now trying out a simple gown of a deep blue color, which she liked given its similarity in shade to her former attire. It wasn't adorned with too many fineries, but it was certainly different, given how she had worn kimonos and other generally eastern clothing for the past thousand years.

Nothing else was on her body, and Kaguya had decided that she was going to drop all the finery in the future. The confusing clash of differing cultures and clothing greatly annoyed her, so she decided that she had to sit down with Sabina and figure _something _out.

But that was not a topic for the present. Kaguya turned to the right as she made her way up the wooden steps of the mansion. At the end was a long deck, stretching about twelve feet in either direction.

And a few feet in front of the end of the stairs were the two large doors leading into the mansion. Kaguya paused, knocking herself. She didn't want to enforce any bad habits in Verena. Bad habits of course being the things that Verena shouldn't be doing now, seeing as how her master had no official nobility, and therefore, officially no power.

The door opened. A tall man, dressed in a fine suit and with long blonde hair braided into a ponytail. His green eyes found Kaguya. "Hello, Ms. Houraisan," he said, "Milady has been expecting you." The butler bowed to Verena. "Ms. Weiss," he said. He did not bow to Kaguya.

_Makes sense. She's much older. He looks like he's a little under my age. Probably born after the Last War, but if he doesn't respect me, which no one is obligated to do given my reputation, he's not obligated to bow. If he bows to Verena, then he certainly knows his history, which I can respect. _Kaguya moved as the butler turned around, inviting Kaguya and her maid into the house.

They were led into a symmetrical entrance hall, not very long. He took them up a flight of stairs, into a turn, and then through a door that led into a small room. Kaguya had observed many large windows as she approached the mansion, and this had one of those windows as the wall. Heavy curtains had blocked out any chance of seeing things within for Kaguya as she was outside, but now, the room was well-lit. Enchanting specially made nanofibers wasn't too difficult, and Kaguya liked the touch as she could observe the entirety of the small dip in the mountain, while being certain that no one was looking in.

The room was roughly fifteen by twelve feet. A small glass table, elliptical in shape, was in the middle. On that table sat a few candles. They were unlit. The pointed ends of the shape were pointed towards the longer walls, one of which was the window. The center was just wide enough for that candles and a saucer and cup of tea.

To either side of the more curved ends of the table sat a beanbag chair. Both were of dark black coloring. Beyond the tables and sofas sat a chaise longue, a long reclining chair, facing the window. Kaguya noticed that there were no lights in the room's ceiling.

One of the chairs, to the right of the table from Kaguya's view, was already occupied. A small girl, looking about eleven or twelve, sat there. Presumable she was Nariari. If she was, then Kaguya was already concerned.

The girl sat leaning back in the sofa with her legs crossed. White boots, reaching halfway up her shins, were laced with multiple black strings. She was clearly wearing dark black leggings, which, thanks to the girl's posture position, Kaguya could almost see up the end of, which confirmed that they went all the way up the girl's legs.

Kaguya wouldn't comment on the girl's undergarments, but she could say that Nariari had a short black skirt on. Over her torso she wore a tight-fitting blouse colored a dark shade of white, probably classifiable as silver. A small opening in the chest of her blouse barely exposed the tops of her petite breasts. The blouse was sleeveless, so she wore a coat over it to cover her arms. The coat was a light shade of black, not enough to be grey, but not as dark as some other parts of the outfit. The coat itself did not seem to be a more formal outfit, instead seeming like a double-breasted coat. Not quite like a military uniform, but not as informal as the rest of the attire. It was unbuttoned.

Nariari herself had a cute face, as she did look like a child. She had a long ponytail of jet black hair. In her hands was a book. Kaguya recognized it. The girl seemed to be reading a text by the title of _Faust. _She laughed at it as Kaguya entered.

Already displeased with the informal attire of the small child, Kaguya frowned as she was entirely ignored. Nariari finished laughing and, having thrown random glances at Kaguya during her fit, spoke to the girl. "Hello there!" she said cheerfully, then waved her hand towards the beanbag chair opposite the table, "Take a seat!"

Kaguya did as she was told to, while Verena advanced in behind her. The butler did not stop her, but seemingly not because she was allowed in. Rather, it was more like he was afraid of not allowing the maid through. "Sorry," Nariari said, "But she," The young one gestured to Verena, "Has to go."

"You can trust Verena," Kaguya said.

"Then certainly you wouldn't mind if I recorded this conversation?" Nariari asked slyly, her eyebrows raised.

Kaguya sighed, "Invite your servant in, he can stay too. I was hoping to build some kind of friendly relationship between us"

"Sorry, but I don't trust him either," Nariari explained, "So it's either the maid goes, or both you and her go."

Kaguya nodded her head, trying to disguise her shame at her easy defeat. "Go on Verena," she said, "I don't know how long this will be,"

"As you wish," Verena bowed her head a little, before walking backwards out of the room.

The man with the braided tail leaned into the room, looking for instructions. "Karisso, do something with her," Nariari ordered, folding her book and putting it to the side, "Just keep her occupied."

"Yes, milady," the man bowed, before he shut the door. The two were now alone in the room. Nariari, still in the same posture as before, looked over her legs at Kaguya. Kaguya sat with her hands on her legs and her back straight, meeting Nariari's eyes, and completely averting her eyes from the rather revealing upskirt view the other girl's posture provided.

"Sorry," Kaguya said, "But I'm no lolicon. So if you could drop your legs, I would prefer to talk like intelligent people, not a whore and her client." She was still rather bitter about Verena being made to leave.

Nariari gritted her teeth, but did her best to hide her frustration. She uncrossed her legs, and sat up a little. Now she leaned forwards, elbow balancing on her knees as she stared at Kaguya. Snapping her fingers together darkened the room. The curtains were now acting as normal, with effectively no light entering the room.

It was pitch black now. Nariari snapped the fingers of her other hand. The candles lit up. Simple magic, really. Just energy manipulation. "Impressive…" Kaguya remarked, the sarcasm all too obvious, her eyebrows raised, "So you can control candles and curtains from afar, as well as kill family members? Your powers are quite varied."

"Oh boy," Nariari said, "An intelligent person looked at that case. I didn't think I covered my tracks that poorly."

"Technically, you covered opportunity, method, and motive quite well. A case can be made, but it wouldn't last for long," Kaguya admitted, "But I don't necessarily need to convict you in a court to ruin you. Because I know what you want, what I need to know is when you want it."

"What do I want?" The young-looking girl asked, simply ensuring that she was not being bluffed into submission.

"You want Salathiel's seat on the senate, which is why I need to know when, because that when tells me when he's going to die," Kaguya explained. Nariari nodded. She hid her own annoyance.

"Die?" she asked, "That's new,"

"Don't play dumb," Kaguya said, her voice dropping into a threatening tone, "I have other things-"

"You took time out of the first full day you are here to come see me," Nariari said, "Clearly, you need something from me. Whether it is my allegiance or something else is yet to be explained, but I do know that you would not have come if you did not truly need to come. So let's make a deal. I don't play games, and you don't play games, how about that?"

Kaguya nodded. "That's acceptable,"

"Then perhaps we should continue?" Nariari reached forwards and grabbed her cup of tea. Carefully lifting the cup, which lacked a handle, she brought it to her lips. "You know," she said, "Some of the oldest makers of tea on the Moon refuse to sell tea to Negotiators, or anyone who is not a Purist. Turns out that a lot of people think I'm something else than I really am."

"Really now?" Kaguya asked, "Cause you seem like a little girl who likes influencing sick perverts by flipping her skirt in order to get what she wants, am I right? Certainly a charming little one, you are?" She narrowed her eyes, "Honestly, you're probably still a virgin."

"Maybe?" Nariari shrugged, "Maybe not…" Kaguya took that as a yes to the guess she made.

Sighing, the older of the two girls continued, "Well, perhaps we should get back on track. What I need from you is a promise that you will allow your brother to live. He is useful to me. You killed your eldest brother in order to put Salathiel on the senate, you haven't asked for a favor yet, because you merely want him gone as well. Being born third in a noble, senate family is tough, but there's no need for what you are doing."

"Whoever said I was going to kill Salathiel?" Nariari asked, "I have a favor to ask from him. That favor will be him stepping down from his position. Perhaps there might be a threat of death involved, but I'd never carry it out. My dead eldest did need to go. He would never do anything for me, I like the Earth too much."

"Yet you don't side with the negotiators?" Kaguya asked, "Why's that?"

"Because I'm not on the senate yet. I can't close off all the possible ways to get what I want by declaring my faction. One can do so much more by being an independent. If I do get in the senate, I would never say who I truly support."

"You don't like humans, do you?" Kaguya asked.

"Of course I don't. They're stupid things most of the time, caring about their appearance, what the weather's like, or whether or not the neighbor is having an affair with their spouse." _Rather broad generalizations there…_Kaguya thought, _oddly specific as well. Is this what the Moon thinks? _"Sometimes, though," Nariari reached to the side, picking up the text she had been reading, "They make something worthwhile…"

Kaguya looked to that side of the chair, and noticed multiple other books. Other books by this Goethe, or some Nietzsche, were present. Kaguya had read most of their works, some game she had played referenced one of those man's works. _Xeno-something, wasn't it? _ She dropped the thought, listening to Nariari.

"I don't want humans dead," Nariari explained, "They make some wonderful works of literature, art, music, even some of their games are wonderful. But I don't want to associate myself with those creatures." She had a rather haughty tone to her voice, and Kaguya supposed that she should have disliked the girl for her casual racism.

But it really wasn't something as silly as racism. It was more one species saying it was better than another. And Kaguya couldn't refute the girl on most of the complaints she made. "All I need is someone who wants the Earth to live," Kaguya said, "Your exact thoughts are not entirely a problem."

"Hmmmm, that desperate for supporters?" Nariari asked, "You wonder if I would like it if you brought up my crime in public, but do you think Yui would like it if I brought up what you're doing with her?"

"And what do you mean by that?" Kaguya asked.

"Well, you know," Nariari said, "How you're slowly gathering a powerbase without letting her know. You obviously have Salathiel in the bag, and I understand from him that even Caohime has caved. Did Yui tell you to do this? Does she know what your plan is?"

Kaguya shook her head, "I have no intention of overthrowing her control on the party,"

"That's a lie," Nariari said, standing up. She started walking slowly over to Kaguya's side of the table. "We both know that while Yui is very good at many things, she is not good at the things you are good at. And organizing a coordinated political offensive is one of those things that falls into the latter category."

Kaguya opened her mouth, before Nariari leaned down and clamped it shut with her fingers. Kaguya didn't resist. "You do realize who you are, right? You are a commoner. A commoner that was banished. Your titles were stripped entirely from you when you refused to come back here. You're lucky they didn't revoke all your rights. I'm a noble, one who seems to be on no one side. Which means that I could do so many illegal things to you right now, and get away with most of them. I would even be rewarded by the Purists for breaking you in such a manner." Nariari smiled evilly, "Do you want to find out what?"

She let go of the girl, awaiting a response. "I have been tortured multiple times in the past," Kaguya said, "So only handing me over to the Purists will do anything to me."

"In the past?" Nariari asked, "On Earth?" Kaguya nodded. "Care to share?" The girl shook her head. "Fine then," Nariari said, faking sadness at the lack of information. "I suppose I can get it out of you later."

"I like how you think you have the power here," Kaguya said. Nariari paused as she walked back around, in the opposite way around the table.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you would have sent me away if you didn't want me here," Kaguya said matter-of-factly. Nariari almost started laughing, then Kaguya continued. "You want something from me, just like I want something from you. I can tell that because you want Salathiel's seat and would kill for it, you have some serious jealousy issues. You want to play in the big leagues, and you think I can give that to you…"

Nariari got a disappointed look on her face. It almost stretched behind disappointment. Kaguya grinned victoriously, "Because I can, and I will, but only if we can make a reasonable deal that satisfies both of us."

"What do you want?"

"Salathiel stays in the senate, and you work for me, and only me," Kaguya said, "If you agree to that, you have access to everything I do, and everything I plan. I will ensure that Yui devotes resources to you, and when I do finally take control of the party, you will get serious priority."

Nariari considered what she was hearing for a few moments. "So I get to work for you, and become a little dog, but I get power?" She shook her head, "I like how you think that you have power here," she said, walking towards her chair again.

"What?!" Kaguya cried. Her charisma had been broken by the single statement.

"You think that you're some invincible deity, a force of nature if you will, come back to enact some grand plan, long in the making, to completely restructure the Moon, rolling over all opposition in the process. You think that everyone will bow down before you, but only two have bowed down. I imagine Caohime was rather reluctant, but she's so gullible. Everyone is still shocked about your speech last night, but that's only because they only knew you were coming the day you arrived. Salathiel tells me things. I've known for months that Yui has been planning to bring you here, and I have to say I'm not entirely impressed." She sat down, and shrugged, "Well, if you're going to be so foolish, I can only be your opponent. Bringing down the great Kaguya shall certainly get me into the big leagues." She sighed, a hand going to her forehead, "Well, at least I know to not deal with you anymore. You can be going now."

Kaguya had time to recover during the rant. It was not much, but she could keep going. And she knew how to go after Nariari now. "Salathiel's a dog to be kept on a leash. Caohime's a cannon to be aimed at the right target. But you…you can do so much more…" Kaguya said, "I've gotten no true equals to follow me so far, but I would love to find a first."

Nariari's face brightened up, "You would?"

"Of course," Kaguya said. She understood that she was not winning here because she had some great skill or prowess. She was succeeding because Nariari wanted something that Kaguya could easily give. If she wanted anything more, than Kaguya would be going out with shame.

"So a partnership of equals?" Nariari asked.

"Certainly," Kaguya confirmed.

The girl smiled. "Well then, I only need verbal confirmation. I suppose that your actions in the next few days will prove whether or not you are actually going to go ahead with this deal. But be rest assured that good things will not come of betraying me."

Kaguya nodded. She stood up. Nariari stood as well. She walked close to Kaguya, almost blocking the door. "Care to stay for a while longer?"

Kaguya shook her head, chuckling "A tempting offer, but I'd really rather not get into a bad habit. I'll be going now."

"You were here, but you were visiting me because you knew me when I was young, and you wanted to just share some nostalgic stories," Nariari said, then added, "For the cover, in case anyone besides Yui gets really picky. I figure that you already told her the real reason you came here."

"No reason to lie to her too much at the moment," Kaguya said, as she opened the door. Light shined brightly into the room, the upper floor being illuminated by the grand windows above the front entrance to the mansion.

"I shall see you later," Kaguya said, "And I hope we shall have a long sturdy relationship." Nariari nodded.

"The same to you." The once-princess called for her maid. She had been talking with the page, the one named Karisso. The two returned from wherever they had been. Kaguya didn't worry, knowing that Verena would do nothing wrong, and would tell Kaguya about whatever did go on.

The master and her servant said their final goodbyes to the mansion and its occupants, before they departed out the simple doors of the simple house.

* * *

Before Kaguya and her maid left the mansion, her maid had been distracting herself. The butler of Nariari's, Karisso, had brought her elsewhere in the rather small mansion. Verena vaguely remembered serving in places this small back in her early days, but for thousands and thousands of years, she had been in larger structures, at least for most of the time.

She saw a few lunar bunnies, but no other Lunarians seemed to be present. Karisso explained that there were none as the two sat down in a room downstairs. It was an open common area. Entering the mansion, one would find halls leading to either side, as well as stairs leading immediately upwards, only ten feet from the doors.

The stairway to the second floor occupied the right side and middle of the entryway, leaving an open space to the left. That small gap led into this common room. It connected to other areas in the quite open building. Verena had seen things like this design, but it was quite new and exclusive to the last one or two thousand years.

It was a design she certainly liked, she would not deny that. She sat down on a sofa across from Karisso, who sat down as well. Verena was dressed in her normal uniform. She had yet to ever tire of the thing. It was just what she wore, nothing more than that.

"Do you require anything?" Karisso asked.

Verena shook her head, "No thank you, I am fine as I am."

Karisso did nothing but lean back in his seat as a reply. _Supposed to keep me occupied…_Verena thought, _so she wants him watching me. Understandable, given that she knows who I am. But does she really think that this man is going to be able to stop me if I really want to do something? _

A couple minutes passed, before Karisso would ask a question. Verena had been expecting the man to utter some words. Even if they were pointless and easily answered, she expected something from him. "So, you really are _the _Verena Weiss?"

_Just as silly and pointless as I thought, _the maid confirmed, _but I suppose we're on a good path to be walking down. _"Of course I am," she said, her voice managing to remain perfectly calm, despite her annoyance. "I am the loyal servant of…Ms. Houraisan."

"Not allowed to call her your lady?" Karisso asked.

Verena nodded. "She's not nobility, and since she admits to that, having me call her as such would make her seem quite pretentious. I do what she asks of me."

"You became her maid…when?" Karisso asked. It was a rather personal question, but it was not as if it was not a question that was easily answered. He could have just looked it up with some source. The name Verena Weiss was a name well-known for students of history and long-lived Lunarians.

Verena tilted her head to the side. She was incredibly respectful when in the presence of those with any kind of power over her. Here, it was just a duel of servants. Frowning, she sighed, "It was almost five thousand years ago when I first came into the service of Kaguya Houraisan."

She only entertained this silliness out of the hope that it would go somewhere worthwhile. But at the moment, it was going roughly nowhere. "Mister," Verena said, "Surely you do not have to ask such simplistic questions about me. There are many places in which you can find resources about me." The heavy tone in her voice as she spoke the last sentence was strange.

"I could certainly," Karisso said, "But I guess I just wanted to warm things up, you're rather cold, you know?" Verena narrowed her gaze at the man, startling him into getting to the point. "W-Well then," he said, shifting around where he sat as he felt a little uncomfortable all of a sudden, "Perhaps I should-well you see-I just wanted to ummmm, maybe, possibly, hear a little bit about your experiences?"

The man had great charisma when Verena first met him. _Alone in a house of rabbits and Nariari. Given that there really are no other Lunarians, then he is the only male in the house. That makes him feel good about himself, especially because he is older than anyone else here, unless there's a strangely long-lived rabbit. He certainly has plenty of courage, but when actually confronted with someone who is about four times his age, that charisma is broken…how weak of him. _

"Have you no courage?" Verena asked, "You are merely asking me to speak about my life. I've no reason to refuse you, so why are you scared?"

"Sorry," Karisso said, stumbling all over himself, "I was just a little…ummmm, thrown off by the way you were acting. You looked like you were…well, angry with me."

"I was," Verena replied, "But you got to the point without wasting too much breath, so I can commend you for that."

"Commend me?" His face brightened a little, before Verena glared at him again. That shut the man down.

"You're weak," Verena said. Karisso was going to speak, but she shocked him into silence with her gaze. She thought. _He's certainly very good looking, I will give him that. I wouldn't be surprised if those looks make him think he has some power to woo all women to his side. They don't but perhaps his seclusion as a result of his servitude to Nariari has led to that. I wonder if he has any other useful skills. Milady will certainly handle Nariari, and Karisso seems very loyal, but it can't hurt to get everyone on our side. _

"But you may have potential," Verena said. She pointed her finger at him, demanding, "Let's hear about _your _life instead,"

The butler knew he was in no place to complain. He straightened his back. Speaking clearly, he began. "I was born in AC 2145, in the city of Liiealis. My mother was a philosopher, and my father was a scientist. I was the first of their children. I have two younger brothers, who are twins. My father wanted a grant for a research project. Milady's parents were interested, but wanted something in return. I was only four hundred and ninety-six at the time, and with no experience, but I was found to be a suitable gift. Milady was born shortly after I arrived. They had not found much of a use for me, save for charming young girls, so I was assigned to Milady. When she came of age in AC 2746, I was her birthday present. I have served Milady ever since."

Servants were still treated as property by the Lunarians. There was no such thing as slavery. There never had been. But servants had to give the utmost respect to their masters, and generally, any Lunarian servant was a person who wanted to become one. Rabbits could fulfill most tasks, and given the population decline, they did these days.

The other maids under Kaguya were only there because it was obvious that Yui had handpicked them for Kaguya. Verena did believe that Yui even had a hand in the events that led to them losing their jobs.

From what Karisso said, he had enjoyed his service. His tone had certainly been upbeat, so Verena could imagine that he had hated the entirety of the time had had spent under the control of another. "Is something between you two?" Verena asked. He knew who she referred to.

"I am not fit for Milady," Karisso said. He honestly believed this. Verena smiled, then asked another question.

"Interests, things you are good at?"

"I am avid student of history, although Milady likes to enforce that. I enjoy plenty of literature, both old and new. Same with other forms of entertainment," Karisso said. He seemed embarrassed to be talking about these things with someone so old.

"I like them too," Verena said, "We're not Earth. Sure, five thousand years ago, electricity was only found in storms for those people. But five thousand years ago here, we had mostly the same things we do today."

Karisso nodded, "So I shouldn't feel bad for liking…you know, video games, entertainment like that?" He seemed shy.

Verena chuckled. "I love those things. It's so common these days for Purists, or those who don't want to be stomped on by the Purists, to say that things like video games, television, such forms of entertainment are disgusting things from Earth, when we've had them for plenty of time. Far, far longer than the Earth."

The two then went on to have a short conversation about their favorites and what they like the most. The end of the talk was the two laughing so hard that they barely stayed on their seats. While Karisso kept on laughing, Verena snapped right back into an air of seriousness when she felt she was done.

"Come on," she said, "We've only so much time here…"

Karisso did his best to convert his mood, but he failed just by a bit. Verena smiled proudly at him. _I can make something of this one…_she thought. "So…anything you're particularly good at?"

"As I said, Milady's family liked using me to charm women. Apparently I'm just naturally good at it or something. I've gotten to do something they wouldn't have done otherwise…"

"How many into bed?"

Karisso blushed, his face turning bright red as he found himself running out of breath. Looking down, his voice low, "Only the ones that liked me back."

"Nothing committed?"

"Of course not. I get the feeling they assigned me to Milady because I tried to get in a committed relationship. And out here, I've not gotten a chance. I simply serve Milady happily."

"And the rabbits around here?"

Karisso spoke even more softly, "Well…not really…"

"Say no more," Verena said, "No need to get that awkward. Anything else?"

"I hate to say this…especially with you here, but I think I'm possibly acceptable in terms of the sword…"

Verena stood up. "Bring me your weapon, or your favorite if you have multiple, we shall find out now."

"You've nothing…" Karisso said as he stood up as well.

"I'm the one who's been through a war," Verena said, "Let me figure who needs a weapon and who doesn't."

Karisso nodded and walked away to retrieve his blade. He returned a couple minutes later, having gone upstairs, carrying a long rapier. He handed it to Verena, who inspected the weapon.

"A gift from Milady, a reward for my long service," he explained.

The grip's guard was masterfully crafted, depicting a serpent that wrapped around the slender and firm hilt before curling back in to devour itself. The hand guard itself was a finely polished tip of a gleaming silver material. The blade itself was four feet long, and had a fine edge to it. Verena saw that a small button on the hilt, easily thumbed, signified the weapon as a powered one.

She handed it back to him. She walked towards the front door, spinning around. He stood near the entrance to the short way back to the doorway. "Turn it on," she said, "Then try your hardest to kill me. No wounds, no maiming. I will not surrender. Kill me." It was an order.

In that instant, Karisso knew he was not going to win. Activating the weapon, it flashes briefly before glowing a bright white. Magitech capacitors lit the blade up with incredibly hot fire, to the point where he knew that even coming close to the walls or an object might light it.

He stood with the blade pointed out in front of him as he adapted a fighting stance. Minutes of tension passed. A rabbit saw. She told the others. All the rabbits in the mansion were now crowded about the scene, staying far enough away so as not to get hurt, but close enough to see everything which might occur.

Karisso moved, with the speed and precision of one who had trained for a very long time, and crossed the space in an instant. There was a thud. His vision was no longer showing Verena. It was showing the ceiling. He was vaguely aware that his weapon was no longer in his hand.

His vision swam with a sea of colors. He knew this to be caused by serious head trauma. He felt dizzy as well. His extremities could not really be felt anymore. He couldn't breathe. That was not something he realized until he was almost out of breath. Then it came back.

A weight was on his body. His vision cleared after a minute, and he saw that it was Verena, seated on his stomach. Her body was turned to the side with her legs crossed, while her head turned to the side to look at him. She seemed rather bored. Her left hand idly swung his still-active blade around, masterfully avoiding everything with it.

"How?" he struggled to ask. He wasn't angry. He was ashamed.

Verena held up her right hand. "In that space, your strike would have been deadly. However, I've had a lot of experience bare-hand parrying magitech blades. Cover your hand with a thin screen of energy, and move fast enough and in the right way, and you can do it for any but the most powerful. Then my fingers went towards your throat. You couldn't breathe because I struck hard enough and fast enough to almost crush the windpipe. Then I hit your head twice with my left elbow and you fell. I spun around perfectly to sit on you like this, and grab your sword from your hand as you fell."

Lunarians were even more durable than youkai. Karisso had no idea how Verena had just done all of this. "I should mention that I'm very, very good at magic, especially magic which increases one's bodily capabilities. I don't need to say any words, use any components or catalysts, there's not even a visual cue. I applied everything before you struck. Don't feel bad, I'm over three times your age."

Nevertheless, Karisso was still ashamed of himself. Lying back, he nodded, "I am sorry I said I was skilled, I am clearly nothing."

"But you're something," Verena said, "I didn't hold back against you because that would have insulted both of us. I showed you my strength, so that you understand you have much to learn. Also, you should feel no shame when fighting a veteran of a war, and someone who has practiced for much longer than you."

"Are you proposing something to me?" Karisso asked.

"Milady shall ensure that your lady will be assisting us from now on. All I ask for is your loyalty as well," Verena said, "Teaching you…well, I'd do it even if your lady did not agree, but I'd love to work with someone such as you."

She deactivated his sword, and handed it blade first. As she switched it to her right hand, she nicked her finger, obviously intentionally, on the blade. "Let's make it special," she said.

He nicked his finger in the same spot as she gently took the weapon. Verena smiled and stood up. "Milady shall be finished soon. I hope we meet again at some point in the near future." Leaving Karisso still lying on the ground, she walked away as the sound of a door opening could be heard upstairs.

Karisso quickly stood, retrieving the scabbard and sheathing his blade. He attached it to his belt before he said goodbye to the leaving women. His blood was still rushing. He quickly moved up the stairs where his lady stood. She looked at him, instantly seeing the blood on his finger. "What were you doooing?" she asked, dragging the word out and almost sounding like a little sister asking her older brother.

"Keeping the maid occupied, as you asked," Karisso said.

"Did you get in her skirt?" his lady asked, then frowned. She looked away as he answered, then looked back, "Or did she get in your pants?"

Karisso blushed. "Of course not!" he shouted, then hurriedly said, "Milady, I apologize…"

"No need," his lady said, walking down the other hallway that was upstairs. "And I really did expect her to leave an impression. Don't worry if you didn't make the impression you thought you would. I know I got you excited, but I never expected you to have an effect."

Karisso sighed, "You're so cruel, milady...and if so, then what was your intention?"

"To make Verena like you. I don't want Kaguya abandoning me. But abandoning me would mean leaving you in the cold as well, because you won't leave me. And because Kaguya and Verena are so close, as long as Verena likes you, it's just another link binding us together," his lady explained as she gestured him to open the door for her.

It led towards the rear of the mansion, into a large room which his lady had made specifically to entertain herself. He opened the door for her, before she walked in. He was about to leave, but she gestured for him to follow. Karisso moved, and shut the door behind himself.

"And don't act like I'm cruel," his lady said, flopping down on the beanbag chair which faced the large screen on the wall of the room. She lay on her stomach, head looking out to the side. Karisso rolled his eyes, walking towards his master.

"What do you want to do?" his lady asked, "I'm bored. I have to wait until Kaguya gives me anything. And waiting is hard, I'll have you know." _Especially when I'm waiting for you to be done being bored, _Karisso thought, before he answered.

"Perhaps we should play a game?" Karisso asked, "Something both of us can?"

"Yay." His lady said flatly. She waited for him to make a choice and start it. He did so, selecting a fighting game. He hated them, because his lady was good at them, and he wasn't. He never heard the end of her long-winded victory rants.

He stood next to his lady as she slowly rolled over. "Sit down," she ordered, tapping the spot next to herself as she sat up. He did so, and his lady immediately leaned her head against his shoulder, holding a controller in her petite hands.

"So you are to work with Ms. Houraisan, milady?" he asked, as the screen turned on and started up.

"Of course I will," his lady said. Suddenly, with her right hand she gripped his wrist, her face excitingly looking at his, "I'm going to make us big, Karisso! All of our hopes and dreams, all of our hard work!" She had tears in her eyes as she cried, "It finally pays off now!" Even as the game came to the menu screen, she was leaping out to embrace him.

He lost balance and fell onto the floor. His lady had her arms wrapped tight around himself. He did the same, but not as tightly. Laying on his back, he found it awkward how close his lady's head was to his. She was crying a little, out of happiness.

"Don't worry, milady," he said, "We can do this…" He really did love serving his lady. He wouldn't go back to his old life for anything at this point. "I'll be there for you."

"I couldn't do all this without you," his lady said. And despite all the lies his lady liked to tell to other people, Karisso could tell when his lady was telling the truth.

And this…this was certainly a truth she said.

Smiling, Karisso certainly did feel that things were going to change. All thanks to that lunatic princess.

* * *

Verena's legs were crossed as she sat in the shuttle next to Kaguya. The younger women leaned her head against her maid's shoulder. "So I assume we got her?" Verena asked.

"Yes," Kaguya confirmed, "She really does want this. I doubt we'll have to worry about her loyalty. She won't throw away this chance."

"As long as you are certain…"

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, I am," Verena confirmed.

"She played you and Karisso together, you know that right?"

"I've been played by many people, I know when it's happening. It doesn't matter. It gives her one more reason to not leave us. We do need to do our best to let her know that we trust her. I'm not saying special treatment, but maybe give her a beat more to chew on than anyone else."

"You're right. She gets bored fast. I'll give the tougher cases for her to handle. She can't do everything, and I need visible support like Salathiel and Caohime, but otherwise, she can be very useful."

Verena looked at Kaguya. "You're going to have to deal with the blowback from last night, you know that right?"

"Nope," Kaguya said, "Already sent Salathiel to figure out what Caohime should say. Yui's doing her best, but this would be a great opportunity to show people besides her individually support me. Yui agrees, so it's even better."

"You're going to hurt her seriously. Yui I mean." Verena's eyes narrowed. She knew Kaguya's plan was the right one.

"I know," Kaguya said with a sigh, "But some wounds just have to be dealt…" She didn't look entirely pleased either.

* * *

**I really got nothing. **


	12. The Stage is Set

**Sorry this is terribly late. I got the update rotations for this fic and my other one mixed up, and ended up spending time working on the other instead of this one. So hopefully this is alright.**

* * *

Salathiel was surrounded by stacks of papers. A laptop computer sat on the desk as well. He could be barely seen as he hunched over the desk, with the mountains of white, and sometimes a few other colors, blocking him off from those who might enter his office. Now located in the Kagome Mansion, of course.

It looked like a chaotic mess. But it wasn't. The stacks were neatly organized. All papers were addressed towards Kaguya. The stacks were divided into letters from close friends and family, letters from officials, and letters from the common people. The latter stack was the highest, but the middle stack had some rather lengthy rants as well. The first stack was tiny. Kaguya had only a few close friends, and not much family. She had some distant cousins…and her mother.

There was nothing from her mother. But given who her mother was, Salathiel was not surprised. The laptop was displaying a steady income of e-mails from various people all over the Moon. He was getting tired of this job, but on the other side of the desk he had Chie helping him. And Serafima. But he didn't really know the latter very well, so he had not spoken to her very much.

Their task was to figure out what Kaguya actually needed to see. By opening the letters and reading them, of course. Most of the commoner letters were going to go through. Not all were exactly friendly, but Salathiel and Serafima could both tell that Kaguya needed something of a morale boost. So it was good that most of the commoners were praising her for her bravery to return, and praising the rousing speech she had given the night before.

The official letters, lengthy and sometimes quite insulting, were not fun to read. The family letters were simply checked for any assassination attempts, as per standard procedure, but not read. She had specifically said to forward all of them to her.

So far, out of the thirty-two thousand letters received and of the one hundred and three thousand e-mails received, roughly one-tenth was done. Only a few people knew Kaguya enough to know what she needed to see. So only three people could really do this job. It was not very fun. At all.

But Salathiel was quite good, as he had spent many days working as a clerk for someone, back when he was intent on climbing through the ranks in a fashion other than familial succession. And Serafima had spent most of her time serving Yui in a role like this. Chie was like Salathiel, but an especially loyal servant of the man.

Salathiel was tired. Serafima glanced over the stacks and noticed this. It was late at night. Caohime had already issued a reply from Kaguya about the incident, but Salathiel still had work to do. "You should get some sleep," Serafima said, "It's almost…two o'clock in the morning."

_So not late night. Early, early morning, great. _Salathiel thought, effectively ignoring the woman. "Salathiel!" Serafima shouted, speaking a lot like his mother, "Get to your bed this instant. Or just sleep right here, I don't care, but you can't go on like this. You're making mistakes!"

Salathiel drowsily looked up at her, and then slumped over entirely. He had been up all night before, and had woken up quite early. Kaguya had been working him harder than anyone else in his entire life.

Serafima sighed. Salathiel was still conscious, and thought about how the girl sounded so much like his mother. _I think she's a lot older than me too…by about like one thousand or so, right? _

"Sir," Chie said, still sorting through the papers and taking glances at the computer in her lap as she spoke, "I believe Ms. Apollinariya is correct. You need the rest. We can handle the work from here."

"I can't…" Salathiel moaned, "We're not going to get anything done sleeping…and only a fraction of the population has sent anything. Chances are this flood won't end."

"Kaguya can't read all of this," Serafima said, "Why worry, she might get through all of this in a month."

"But it's still my job," Salathiel insisted, sitting up drowsily. His arms shaking, he went back to reading, even though the words were all starting to blend together.

He was about to collapse again when Serafima walked around the desk. She stabilized him. Chie stood as well, clearly offering her assistance. "I got him," Serafima said, "You're better at this anyways, I'll take him back to his room."

Chie grinned a little, "Tie him down if you have to."

Serafima laughed as she helped Salathiel to this feet. But the man stumbled a little before tripping over himself again. She caught him, and lifted him up, draping him over her outstretched arms. "Wouldn't that be funny?" she replied to Chie as she walked towards the door.

"Seriously," Chie said as she sat back down, eyes focused on her work, "I've had to twice before. Just make sure you're not in there when he wakes up, because then it looks like something else."

The two women laughed as Serafima exited the office. It was located as close to Kaguya's quarters as possible. His bedroom was located even closer. Serafima was rather disturbed by the rapid adoption of Salathiel and Caohime into Kaguya's inner circle, something that Yui did not seem to be part of.

It was not that Serafima didn't trust Kaguya. It was more that she simply wondered what the girl was doing. _Yui's letting her do what she wants…I'll talk to Elle about this. _Then she looked down at the very tired man in her arms. _No…that would be just cruel…Well, some things just have to be done. I can't hurt him, he'd remember that…I could get him drunk if just asking him in this state doesn't work. _

She didn't like it, but it wasn't she hadn't done worse. She dropped him off on his bed, in the multileveled suite that he was staying in now. He was still moving around, almost rolling off the bed as she tried to get back to work. Incoherent mumbles came from his mouth, and Serafima could translate some of them as his desire to work again.

Serafima cursed under her breath as she walked back towards the bed. Another second would have brought her out the door when Salathiel rolled off of the bed. Positioning him on his back, amongst mumbled complaints, she tore a strip of cloth from the collar of his robes and used it tie one of his wrists to one of the bed posts.

That was when Serafima made it out of the room quickly. A search of the kitchen found a bottle of wine. She approved of the brand, and knew that it was quite effective. _I doubt the man can hold alcohol well, this bottle was probably lying around in here. _

Her hand curved around the handle as she yanked it open. A single word did echo out over the others. "What?" It was mumbled as Serafima came back, but she knew that Salathiel was out of the daze his tiredness had brought him into.

Serafima put the bottle down next to the bed, leaning over Salathiel. With a smile, she said, "Well, sorry, Chie said to tie you down if you kept trying, and you did keep trying. I can let you go if you promise to remain here."

Salathiel glared at Serafima, but the stare lost a lot of effect with the massive circles under his eyes, and the fact that he could barely keep his eyelids from closing down and cutting off the act.

"I can't…" he said, "I have to go back…"

"Hey…" Serafima began, speaking softly. She interrupted his words, "What is Kaguya planning? Has she told you anything…I'm just wondering?"

"I don't really know," Salathiel said quietly, "She's given me tasks, but no view of the big picture…" _Of course he's able to speak coherently when asked about his work. _He seemed to be telling the truth, and Serafima figured Kaguya would compartmentalize things well, so Serafima reached down and lifted the bottle.

Spinning around and hiding the glass in front of herself, she said, "Well, I'll leave you here to get some sleep. I'll come back in a few hours, so try to sleep. You can't work if you rub your wrist raw struggling like you are now."

The long-haired girl, her cape following her, walked out the door. Salathiel was left to fall asleep within a few minutes. The bottle would be back in the kitchen when light dawned over the Moon again, while Serafima would explain that her delay was due to the extra trouble she was given.

* * *

Caohime stood in front of the various cameras and gathered media officials. The setting was a room in the Kagome estate dedicated specifically to press conferences of this sort. And by conference, the real meaning was a few minutes of talking and answering questions.

About this time, Kaguya would be taking a bath while speaking with her maid. Salathiel was busy sorting out logistics, and Nariari was just beginning _Faust. _And to Caohime had gone the arduous, and not very enviable at all, task of speaking to the reporters abound the incident last night.

It was just the 'incident'. It had already been written down multiple times, with lack of any capitalization whatsoever. Just the incident.

Caohime had just arrived into the room. The same attire from the night before was on her. She had been handling the moving of some of her possessions to a secondary room in the Kagome Mansion when Kaguya had forced this job on her. The orders were delivered by Verena, so Caohime had no way of knowing if the once-princess was even awake.

Nevertheless, it was better than what Salathiel had, so Caohime accepted that. "Last night," Caohime began, "Ms. Houraisan was attacked by a drone craft, presumably under the operation of an extremist group. The group managed to deactivate our defense systems, and we suspect that there may have been an internal spy, or just an intruder of some sort. Careful investigation is being handled by the Lady Kagome's forces. The LSDF has refrained from investigating the incident in any way, and no one has stepped forwards to claim responsibility. The drone was not current military grade, hailing from the first millennium of the Age of Purity. We have no idea who did this, but we do feel that perhaps it was rather extreme. After a rousing speech about purity, I really did not see this attempt on her life coming…" She let her words trail off, opening up the room for questioning.

Multiple questions about details of the incident, both inane and major, were asked. Caohime answered them to the best of her ability. She did make certain that all the reporters would walk out at least thinking that they were being given the full picture, because they weren't. The investigation had resulted in a likely suspect being in the maids serving in Kaguya's area. Whether or not it was one of the six that were directly under the woman was a question that had yet to be answered.

Then a girl raised her hand. She was the same blue-haired girl who had asked a rather major question towards Kaguya in the past. "So let's say that this really was a purist group," she said, "That means that they attempted to kill Ms. Houraisan with one drone. This could not have been a large operation, as an attempt with a single outdated drone had to have been known to fail. But a small group could not have had someone on the inside, presumably. This means that it could not have been a small group, which makes me look to other alternatives."

The girl, Lacia Ailyodus if Caohime remembered correctly, held up her hand as she paused to take a breath. "So, perhaps it was the act of the senate Purist organization? Or maybe this was just a move, planned by Lady Kagome or Ms. Houraisan, to make the common people feel bad."

Caohime knew that she had a chance to strike back. Lacia was going to tear a wide hole to be exploited if she continued. But she had only theories and speculation as her evidence. Caohime had a Moon full of people who looked up towards Kaguya as a sort of Robin Hood, defying the corrupt government.

"Ms. Houraisan…an attempt was made on her life," Caohime said, disbelief on her face as she narrowed in on Lacia with her gaze, "She is certainly immortal, but the fact is that it happened. And maybe it was just an attempt to kidnap her, you don't know, do you? If you think you know everything, then perhaps you would make a perfect candidate for the Purists, as they think the same thing…" Caohime shook her head at the girl.

It was a calculated move. The Purists would be insulted, but Caohime made it obvious that it was only Lacia's accusations that brought the rant up. The common people would sympathize with the words being said. Millions were watching this broadcast after all. Lacia was about to lose a lot of credit. _She doesn't even work for a major group…how sad. _The reporter was silent after that, and the questioning died out quickly afterwards.

Caohime stood where she was, taking slow, deep breaths. She had performed her role well, now all she had to do was go hear about Kaguya's little visit to Salathiel's little sister.

* * *

"She's on our side," Kaguya said to Caohime as the senator sat with the immortal at the dining table. Verena and Aksinya were in the kitchen. Nalini and Yukiko were sitting down with the two. Janessa was elsewhere with Sabina, handling the procuring of new clothes.

"You can be certain of that?" Caohime asked.

"Definitely," Kaguya confirmed, "We've got her good, which means we're now in a good position to start acting."

"What are you thinking?"

"That's why I brought you and Yukiko in. I'm thinking of going after something related to the LSDF. From what Nalini has told me, popular opinion is against the size of the military. We can go at it from some angle like that. We don't need to win, we just need to start reducing the power of the Purists, and getting everyone behind us. People give me sympathy at the moment, but we need actual support."

Yukiko nodded, "The size…" she said. After a few moments of thought, she spoke again, "There's a bill requiring mandatory military service, at least training, from every family which has more than one child. A lot of people aren't exactly fans of the law, so we could go after that."

"Fat chance," Caohime shook her head, "The senate is strongly against anything like that. Senators don't have to put their children in, but the representatives down in the house do. We can easily push anything through the lower level, but the senate will not pass anything. And with the emperor in their pockets, it'll be even easier to shut any attempts down."

"But we don't need to win," Kaguya reminded her, "We just have to make the Purists look as bad as possible. As long as we can go as far as getting some new legislation presented to the senate, then we are good. I'll talk to Yui about getting this thing moving, while you two start developing a basic framework. We go after the mandatory service." The woman stood up, then fell back down into her seat. "I suppose I should wait a little before running off, I…I am rather tired." Kaguya sounded a bit disappointed. Caohime couldn't blame the woman for being excited. She was on a roll, and as long as she had this momentum behind her, she could do amazing things.

But for now, the princess had to get just a small bit of rest.

* * *

By the next morning, a man had gotten a few hours of rest, and was now busy doing exactly what he had been told not to do. His wrist really did hurt, but he was almost free of the strip of fabric that Serafima had tied rather well. She seemed to be rather experienced.

The door opened as he was struggling. His mind immediately ran through the list of possible candidates. _Kaguya-that's not good, Chie-She's done this before, Serafima-I'd rather not…wait a minute, didn't she ask me something earlier. _He turned his head. And sure enough, that long-haired girl with the grandiose cape was there waiting for him.

She approached with a disappointed look on her face. "Really now?" she asked, "You can't even restrain yourself from doing this?" she gestured to the way he struggled. _What is she, my mother? _Was perhaps the dominant thought in his mind as he heard the words.

He finally broke his wrist free, and shook off the pain he felt. "You're the one who did this to me," he growled, getting off the bed. He was still tired, but he could stand and walk. He tried to storm past Serafima, but the girl gripped his arm hard and forced him back in front of her.

"What do you want?" he asked, "How far are you on the work?"

"We got a fair bit of it done," Serafima said, "But Kaguya has asked you and Chie to meet with her. You've got about fifteen minutes before you need to be in her room."

"So why keep me here?" the man asked, looking at the grip on his wrist.

_Does he not remember? _Serafima thought. She let go, backing away towards the door, "No reason," she said, "Just wanted to make sure…" She spun on her heel, and she was in safety as she left his room behind her.

But his quarters were devoid of any other occupants at the moment. She still had to walk down the staircase and make her way towards the doors. Salathiel quickly walked up to her as she made her way down the steps.

He grabbed onto her shoulder briefly, enough to make her stop. Serafima flinched at the touch, almost falling the rest of the way down. Salathiel stepped back, "Sorry, sorry!" he cried, hands raised in front of him. The scene was awkward, but Serafima properly turned all the way around to face him.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice polite and courteous, but a little discomfort was under her breath.

"You asked me something last…this morning," Salathiel said, "Something about what Kaguya was planning?"

Serafima tilted her head to the side, a frown on her face. "I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're talking about," she said, "I put you to bed, so maybe you were just dreaming of me." The possibility made Salathiel turn his head away, blushing.

"I doubt it…" he muttered, "You certain?"

Serafima nodded. Salathiel was a dog. He would talk far too much to his master. "Because if I really did need to know something…I would have done the same…" he said. A clever dog, however.

"You're trying to extract a confession from me by admitting to the same thing you think I did?" Serafima asked, "Rather interesting method…"

Salathiel nodded, "If this isn't going to go anywhere, then I'd rather go then stay here." He walked on down the stairs. Serafima stepped in his way. Grabbing onto his hand, she smiled.

"You're a smart person, Salathiel, you should-no, you _need_ to take better care of yourself." She stared into his eyes. Serafima wished she could have said that she had some ulterior motive. However, sometimes her naturally caring nature slipped out.

"I'll try," he said, but the promise was hollow, and it was easy to tell it was a lie.

"Promise me," Serafima demanded.

_By the gods, she really is my mother! _Salathiel cried to himself, before he nodded. "I promise that I will take better care of myself in the future," he said, "I swear on my purity."

Serafima nodded proudly. She patted him on the head, despite the stair giving him height over her. "Good boy," she declared. A turn and a few steps took her down the stairs. Salathiel still followed in her footsteps.

He did move ahead to open the door for her. Serafima walked out, saying goodbye as she went. Salathiel responded in kind, before Chie was blocking his vision of the woman. "Sir," she said, "We need to go,"

"I know, I know," he said, looking around. He noticed the torn nature of his robe, and cursed. "Let me change," he said.

"Do you need any help, sir?" Chie asked. It was not a strange request. She was his assistant. She was a lunar rabbit. They were bred to be obedient servants of Lunarians.

"No, Chie, tell Kaguya we might be a little late to see her," he said as he ran up the stairs, almost tripping over himself. "And find something to eat, I'm hungry!"

Chie smiled as her master stumbled into his bedroom. She did like him, but it was not like she had a choice in that matter. That smile was still on her face as she walked into the kitchen, a phone coming out of her pocket.

* * *

Salathiel was sitting in a small room. Caohime was next to him on one side, and his rather estranged sister on the other. Chie stood behind him. Karisso stood behind his sister, and another pair of rabbits stood behind Caohime.

Verena and the other five maids stood behind Kaguya, who was seated facing the three servants of hers, and their servants. A desk separated the two parties. They were in an office, a large one, which Kaguya had proceeded to commandeer as her own.

No one but Kaguya and her maids knew what was going on. They knew that the door had been locked when they entered, and they had all been checked for listening devices of any kind. Kaguya leaned back in her chair, looking at the assembled personnel under her leadership.

"All three of you have, in some way, agreed to assist me in getting this Moon back on track. For a long time now, things have not been going so well. A lot has changed, and much of that has been for the worse. However, I must regret to inform you that I do not really care about either race that lives here…"

The three seemed a little shocked. Save Nariari. She clearly saw this coming, and maintained her cool. Meanwhile, Salathiel's face twisted in confusion, while Caohime's eyebrows raised. "I want the Earth saved, and that is all. I don't care if contact is reestablished or not. All I want is for the Earth to be saved, and any and all genocidal movements be ceased forever."

"I do care about the lives of Lunarians and rabbits, but I care more for the Earth's safety. I don't intend to start a war here, and stopping a civil war is a secondary goal of mine. But do understand that as long as the Earth lives, then I can live with most other outcomes, save total destruction of both races." She let the gathered people dwell on this information. She added, just to be sure, "I wish for the Earth to live in order to preserve our purity. I feel no special affection for the people there, nor do I really want them all to start polluting this Moon again. However, there is a difference between accepting the existence of lesser fools like humans, which is the pure and correct thing to do, and attempting to kill them all, which is the incorrect thing to do."

She knew that her words were lies, but she had to say them anyways. She couldn't trust anyone save Verena to follow her always. "I want all attempts against the Earth to be stopped, and you all will help me do that. You all want something in return, so I wish to know what those things are. Remember that we do not know where I will be at the end, so don't ask me to make a promise I cannot assure you I can keep."

Caohime was the first to speak. "It's clear that the current LSDF chiefs of staff and supreme commander have to go. So once this is all over, I am either on that council, or I am the supreme commander." A rather bold request to make. Kaguya doubted she would be able to grant it, but she would not need Caohime forever.

Salathiel took a deep breath, "I wish to…to be able to make a difference in any way I can. I am certain that by serving you, I shall get that chance. I require nothing more from you."

Nariari almost laughed at her brother, "We've already discussed some of what I want," she said, after she calmed herself, "But in the end, I want a spot on the senate. Preferably a good spot, not whatever is open."

Kaguya nodded to all of them. "I understand your requests," she said, "And I will all in my power to one day grant them, provided that you do all in your power to help me one day accomplish my goal here,"

"I wish all of you to say any complaints you have about me right here and now," Kaguya said, "Because we can't have any dissention within the innermost circles if we are to ever get anywhere."

No one had anything to say. "None of you will get this chance again," Kaguya said, "Please, speak now if you have something to say."

Again, nothing was said. "Good," Kaguya said, "I should make it very clear that I am offering to all of you a very good deal."

"I am going to run over anything in my path on my way to completion of my objective. If you stay at my side, then you shall be safe from anything I might do, I swear. But if any of you betray me in any way whatsoever, then I want you all to know that I shall dispatch of you with the utmost ruthlessness."

"So this is not only an agreement to get something we want, it is also to protect ourselves from you?" Caohime asked.

"Yes," Kaguya affirmed, "It is,"

"An interesting tactic…" the woman said, but she seemed to approve.

"I've given you all other reasons. Pick the one you like the most, and stick with it," Kaguya said, "Everyone in this room is responsible for pulling their own weight. There will come a time when we may all be on our own, so we cannot expect anyone else from outside this group of people to be reliable."

"You're splitting away from Yui," Nariari guessed, simply saying this to ruin Kaguya's reveal. She didn't even guessed, Kaguya knew the girl had it all figured out.

"At some point, yes. She's a good person, but this party needs new leadership. Hopefully, we can make the chance smoothly, but there's little chance, given my lack of any titles."

"What's more is that we still need to thin out the rubbish in this party, and we need to start our attack against the Purists." Kaguya explained, "So now that we know what we are doing, let's get around to planning for it."

"I can handle the new bill," Caohime said, "Give me your maid and we can work things out, she knows a bit more about the LSDF than I." She gestured to Yukiko.

"I'll sort out the rubbish," Salathiel explained, "Give me names and I can develop a plan."

"I'll do what I can to gather support for your interests alone," Nariari said.

Kaguya smiled, standing up and raising her voice, "Well then," she said, tears almost coming into her eyes, "It seems that I really have come back…"

The lunatic princess felt that she was truly home for the first time since she arrived. And so, this long and epic tale _truly_ began in a small room on a big Moon, next to an even bigger Earth.

* * *

The tea was…not really bad. A bystander who didn't really know the former princess Toyohime would have thought that the tea she know drank was quite terrible, given that it was now flying out of her mouth and onto the floor of her apartment. She sighed at the stain on the floor, scooting more onto her chair, thinking about how the tea really wasn't worthy of the poor treatment.

She had never tasted worse, but the brand was supposed to be quite well-respected. _I guess this is what I get, being at my current position and all. _She put the cheap cup back on the cheap saucer and put that back on the table. A hand reached for a napkin, before she was on her knees, doing a job she had done a few times, but only a few thousand years ago.

She really had forgot what it was like to be where she was in society. As she did her best to clean the moisture from the carpet before it was more deeply stained in, the door opened. She doubted that anyone besides Yorihime would be opening it. Any officials would just call her if they wanted to talk, and any potential local troublemakers understood that even though the two women no longer possessed a multitude of titles, they were both very powerful people.

"What happened now?" Yorihime asked with a sigh as she approached.

"This tea…" Toyohime said, looking down at the stain with disdain, "It's not that good."

"You've always been elitist about the taste of things," Yorihime said, "And still think about insulting me about my views." Something was put down. Toyohime figured it was her sister's blade. She still kept the thing after all she had gone through.

"The taste of tea and other species are two very different things," Toyohime said, standing up and tossing the dirtied napkin back onto the table, hurrying to wash her hands in the bathroom. Yorihime could have jabbed at her for her incessant need for cleanliness, but she couldn't, as the same need was in her as well.

So Yorihime carefully lifted up the wet napkin and tossed it into the garbage. Toyohime spent maybe just a bit too much time washing her hands off, before she exited the room and came back towards the living room.

Yorihime was standing beside the windows of the living room. Her arms were crossed in front of herself, and she stood shakily. "Tired?" Toyohime questioned. A slight nod confirmed that the women was indeed tired.

"What did you get to experience today?" Toyohime asked.

"I was presented with a task that you are supposed to assist me with as well," Yorihime said. She sighed, then looked back over her shoulder, "We're to investigate the incident at the Kagome Mansion last night."

"I thought the LSDF was dropping that issue?" Toyohime asked.

"I thought so as well, but this seems to be a test of our loyalty. They're expecting us to suck up to Kaguya, which will show where our loyalties really lie. Then they can get rid of us for good, and with the spotlight on Kaguya, no one will notice us."

"And by get rid of us, you mean ensure that we're never seen again?" Toyohime asked.

"I can only thank Rei'sen for that tip," Yorihime said. She took a folded paper out of her pocket. Toyohime unfolded it as she received it.

_I would suggest staying where you are. Might, resulting, loss of life, it. Can't, gold, you, save. _

"How do we know she's not working for them?" Toyohime asked. She could be sure that no one would hear the conversation. The problem was that the sisters had never been charged of a crime, and while bugging a former criminal was certainly allowed under Lunar laws about crime, bugging two people who were not criminals was not at all legal. It would only make the Purists look terrible.

"We don't," Yorihime said, "But we have to start trusting somebody at some point. Besides, she uses _that structure." _

In case there ever was some major incident that resulted in a civil war, the Watatsukis had all their close servants learnt to use certain broken patterns to indicate something. This particular structure told the sisters that Rei'sen was speaking what she was certainly true.

"And she refers to Verena," Toyohime remarked, remembering the girl's hair color, "So we can't run off to Kaguya…"

"So what do we do?" Toyohime asked.

"I don't know," Yorihime turned around entirely. She walked forwards, brushing right past her sister. She walked into the kitchen. It was Toyohime's turn to stand alone, staring out the window at the world around. The apartment was rather small, in a rather compacted area of the capital. These apartments were only occupied by minor military or government personnel who needed to stay a few nights at a location especially close to the center.

Not for permanent dwelling. But where else could the two have an eye kept so closely yet so legally on them? Besides, the place was certainly fancy. So the windows she stared out of were rather large, and provided a grand view of the capital center.

The mixed grandeur and practicality of the senate building, the stark, efficient shape of the LSDF headquarters, and the grand, ancient structure that was the palace. It had survived even the Last War, and had stood there for some ten thousand years now.

Massive damage had been incurred to the structure during that great conflict, but the building itself had survived for the most part, so it was the only building even close to its size to have survived for so long.

Toyohime heard sounds from the kitchen. Her sister was preparing dinner. She wondered what it would be for tonight. Not that she really, truly, deeply cared about such things anymore. She was more concerned about whether or not she would wake up in her bed or not wake up at all, her body instead making its way into the sun.

"We obviously can't let Kaguya off clean…but since the LSDF never pursued this in the first place, we can't publically announce anything," Toyohime called back. She spun on her heel, storming back towards the kitchen.

"This is nothing more than a test of our loyalty!" she cried, standing in the doorway. The note from Rei'sen crumpled into a tiny ball as she crushed it. Tiny bits even made the slow journey to the ground, "They already know everything, this is just a game they want us to play!"

Yorihime remained rather calm. "I figured that out already," she said, "And I don't like it either. But I also like being alive."

"Can't we just throw ourselves behind Kaguya already?!" Toyohime cried, "She has to be able to protect us to an extent!"

"And how would we do that?" Yorihime asked, "Just run up to her, and beg for her to save us? I would like to remind you who banished her in the first place."

"She has seemed to forgive us, and I would rather die fighting than live like a dog!" Toyohime shouted. She felt herself get angry. "But of course, you would prefer the Earth to burn, so I should just go on my own!"

Yorihime's fists clenched tightly. She had been holding a knife in her hands, chopping vegetables. The blade groaned under the strength of her tightening grip. She spun, silver gleaming under the rays of the lights in the ceiling.

And in less time than one could blink, the projectile was making its way back towards her, a catch made so effortlessly and quickly that the return was simple. Yorihime simply cocked her head to the side by about a centimeter, the blade whistling past her as she reached out behind with her right hand.

Light gleamed again as a low cracking noise echoed. The weight of Yorihime's body, as well as the unbalance of her sister caused by the elbow to the face she had just received, sent Toyohime down. The blade, tossed over to Yorihime's left hand, was now held against Toyohime's throat.

"Don't start this," Yorihime said, "We can't tear ourselves apart like this. We're all we have at the moment. If we need to bark like good dogs in order to survive, then we are doing to bark like good little dogs, and follow whenever our chain is tugged." She wasn't happy with the words she spoke, which was easy enough to observe.

"That won't change anything," Toyohime growled, "It will only get worse for us,"

Yorihime stood up, placing the small knife back on the kitchen counter. She helped Toyohime up, before taking a close look at the bruise she had left. "You were always better at fighting," Toyohime sighed, as Yorihime felt the impact she'd left.

"Nothing was broken," Yorihime said, satisfied with that result.

Toyohime nodded, only for her sister to then step in even further and embrace her. "It's terrible, living like this, I know. But we can't let this tear us apart. That's what they want, they want us to turn against each other. You run off now, and they pick you off on your own, and then what happens to me?"

The words did make Toyohime pause. "I know I don't have a favorable view of the Earth, but maybe I'm just blind. I don't want things to be like they were, call me too untrusting, but after Eirin and then Kaguya betrayed us, I have my reasons. I don't want to see the Earth gone…but I don't know if Kaguya knows what she is doing?"

"We once again find ourselves wondering if we have any choice in the matter…" Toyohime said, embracing her sister back, "We have to keep a close eye on her, but we can't let her have too much free reign. But she's the only chance we have. If anyone can stop those fools above us, it's Kaguya."

"But we can't openly support her, can we?" Yorihime asked.

"Of course not," Toyohime said, "So for this inspection, I guess we shall have to find something negative. But we can't bash her too much, or else that would look bad as well. We'll have to be as natural as possible. When do we go?"

"Today," Yorihime said, "It is only four, but we're leaving at six, so I was hoping to eat beforehand." That was when the phone in her pocket rang. She stepped back, quickly going to answer the call.

"Hello?" she said. A voice she had not heard directly addressing her in a long time spoke.

"Yorihime?" Kaguya asked.

"Yes ma'am?" Yorihime said. She rarely encountered a person who she did not have to use some kind of title with.

"I heard about the inspection you're scheduled for, and was wondering if you wanted to come and enjoy dinner with us beforehand. I would be happy to have you."

Toyohime was listening close. She met Yorihime's eyes. It was an olive branch extended by Kaguya. If they grabbed hold of it, the hunter crouched behind them would notice, and would certainly pounce. If they ignored it, then the hunter would ignore them for now.

Toyohime leaned away, whispering, "This has to be a gesture of kindness on her part. She wants us back, but…but we can't go back at this point."

Yorihime nodded. Her eyes glanced to the right. Sitting on the table was a picture of someone she knew. Someone she didn't know very well. But someone who she knew could easily be wiped away.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we're otherwise occupied up till then, so we can't." The regret in her voice was painfully obvious, but she shut the line off before Kaguya could reply.

It was impolite, but Yorihime burst into tears. Perhaps it had been her fault, for wanting children. Her husband had never been a person she had particularly loved like a wife should love her husband, but she had wanted children with somebody. And given that man was wrapped up in politics, the lonely sage of the moon had plenty of time to raise her two children.

It had been made painfully clear to her by some supposedly 'purer' members of society that it was rather easy to make two children of a traitor disappear. Especially when their father did his best to care for them but really couldn't. The man wasn't a bad husband, nor was he cruel to anyone. He just wasn't someone that Yorihime could love. And he was not a man who had any kind of ability at raising children. Yorihime knew she'd do even worse, though. Perhaps that was another nail in the coffin.

Yorihime closed her eyes, falling backwards and landing on the ground. Toyohime rushed down to her knees, a hand going to her shoulder as her sister cried. "We lost everything, damn them," she muttered, "I'll defend this Moon and what we have here with my life, but I would gladly destroy these monsters who call themselves 'pure'."

"I know," Toyohime said, sounding sad as she smiled at her sister, "But we can survive, just like you said. We know what to do when we go out there tonight, and when we come back. We have a chance to make it out of all this."

"They hold me by a very tight leash," Yorihime said, "If you find the chance to get out, then take it without ever thinking about me…"

Toyohime shook her head, "No, I wouldn't do that…"

"Can we not make promises?" Yorihime requested, "I would really hate it if we could not keep them."

Toyohime nodded, "I guess we shouldn't…"

The girl fell down onto her rear, empty eyes staring in the opposite direction of her sister.

* * *

**I sometimes forget I am writing fanfiction about magical flying little girls while writing this. **


	13. Yet the First Act Drags On

Nariari sat in a rather comfortable chair, leaning into the cushioned back of the chair. It was beside a table. A small one, but large enough for two people to eat dinner on. Karisso was unfortunately not beside her, although she wished that he was.

He had to stay out of this incredibly fancy restaurant, about the center of the Lunar Capital. A man sat across from her. A rather attractive man, but who was she to be judging things like that? He had a long, smooth mane of white hair. Not the kind of white hair an old man might have. No, it was a brighter shade of white. The smooth strands descended down his head and went down to around his shoulders. His smooth face was partially covered on either side by his hair.

He wore a rather elaborate outfit, which boiled down to the attire of a noble lord. His long coat, of dark blue, sat on the chair behind him. His long pants of a brighter hue of blue gave way to boots, with something of a heel. And under the coat he wore a fancy suit, perfect for this occasion.

Nariari wore exactly what she had been wearing the day before, just with different colors due to the fact that the individual pieces were different. She was not the kind of barbarian to wear the same clothes two days in a row. And she really should have not been allowed into this fancy place with her attire, but an exception had to be made due to the person she was a guest of.

A glass of wine sat on the table in front of her. The man across from her was paying, so she choose to abuse that fact. She had also ordered a multitude of the most expensive dishes on the menu. Chirain Seseliasis, the current Supreme Commander of the Lunar Self-Defense Force, was the man she had the displeasure of meeting this night.

"You're not getting me in bed, you know that right?" She asked. The two had not been talking much as Nariari slowly made her way through her food.

"That's not my intention," Chirain said lowly, annoyed. But it was Nariari's intention to annoy him, so she could only be happy with herself.

"Then why did you call me here?" Nariari wondered, "Since that seems to be a question you have no intention of answering."

"I wanted to talk about that visit from Kaguya yesterday," Chirain explained, then said, "And don't make excuses, I will tire of them quickly."

"Since you already seem to know what she wanted, then I said yes to her. She's giving me what I want," the dark-haired girl replied, "And the only reason you could bring that up is because you want me to stop this. I won't, and threatening me will only make yourself look bad when the papers hear of it."

"I can give you what she is giving you, but a hundredfold," Chirain said, "A position on the senate, some other major posting, what do you want?" He was serious. He did not seem afraid or worried. In fact, he seemed only mildly concerned at the most.

"Why so scared of me?" Nariari asked.

"I'm not scared, I just want you out of the picture," Chirain said, "Kaguya's going to make trouble. The more people like you she has with her, the more trouble she can cause."

"Sorry," Nariari shrugged, "But I don't want some position where I can rot away my life. I want to do something with my life, something serious. I don't care for living in peace and comfort. I want excitement."

"Rather human of you," Chirain remarked.

"Says the man whose actions have only caused more and more excitement over an issue that isn't hard to resolve if we would all just think rationally." Nariari replied, a smug grin on her face.

"I don't have time for petty wordplay, so if you aren't interested, then I shall just leave…" Chirain was about to stand.

"Nope," Nariari said, "You haven't paid yet, so you can sit back down and wait till I'm finished."

"You're a gluttonous pig," the man remarked.

"How kind of you," Nariari said, "Do you always talk to girls that way?"

"Only you," Chirain said, saying the words in a romantic manner.

Nariari shrugged, "You got me there," she admitted this with a smile.

"So what's it like being supreme commander?" she asked, "Do you get lots of time to think about destroying planets, committing genocide, maybe even planning civil wars? Or do you fit those in alongside all the boring parts?"

"I would prefer if you could stop this," Chirain said, "Neither of us came here to throw insults at the other."

"Well, well, sorry my words hurt you. You know, I think he humans have a saying, it goes 'sticks and stones…'"

"I know it," Chirain said, "And don't make fun of that, because it would be so utterly pointless to the extent of making yourself look stupid."

Nariari was shut up by this remark. She didn't talk much more throughout the whole dinner. When she finally finished with dessert, she wiper her mouth as Chirain paid the enormous fee she had racked up.

Doing her best to hide her pain, she clutched at her stomach. She had overeaten by a large amount. Chirain put a hand on her shoulder after her put his coat on and came up behind Nariari. "There are ways to annoy people, and many of those don't include hurting yourself too…but I appreciate the dedication."

"Hands off," Nariari grunted, "I swear you really are trying to get me in bed,"

"I would say that's immoral given your young appearance, but I don't think you understand the meaning of morals," Chirain said, before he walked away towards the exit. Nariari's smile spread wide as she stood glancing out the large windows of the tall tower the restaurant was in.

"Well I'll be damned," she muttered, "That man is someone I'll have to get to know. Entirely useless to join him of course, but he shall be fun to slowly break once he's reduced to nothing at the end of this…"

With these whispered words, she turned as well and exited the restaurant. Standing just beside the door was Karisso. He bowed his head to her as she walked out. "Come along," she ordered, going towards the elevator.

The trip downwards was short given the speed of the elevator, and Karisso noticed the smile on his lady's face. "What was he like, milady, if you don't mind me asking?"

"He's very intelligent, and there's more to him than meets the eye. He's not being manipulated, he wants the Earth gone, but he's got more of a reason than just securing his power."

"Are you sure?" Karisso asked.

"Not at all," Nariari replied, with Karisso frowning at the comment, "But the supreme commander was a fun person to meet with, and perhaps my skewed beliefs want me to think that fun people have to have some redeemable qualities, no matter how bad they seem to be."

The two exited into the parking garage, with Nariari climbing into the front side seat of their car. Flying hovercars had been decided to be the greatest nuisance ever due to the fact that they are so easily crashed and ended up clogging the sky, so everyone had normal wheeled vehicles or ones that barely lifted off the ground.

The car Nariari had was of the former type. She enjoyed the wheels more than anything. She sat in the seat right next to Karisso, what would be called shotgun by humans. She didn't question the name, knowing it had everything to do with the history of the people that the seat was named that.

"So we're sticking with Miss Houraisan?"

"Of course," Nariari said, "I'm not rotting away in some place Chirain sticks me. I'd rather lose everything but gain some enjoyment rather than gain everything and lose all my enjoyment."

"Back home," she said as Karisso drove out. They had to drive to the capital, so they left in the morning. And by had to, the meaning is that Nariari insisted. Karisso didn't think it was the most efficient thing, but he didn't mind doing it.

And so he set off on the way home, wherever that was for the two these days. "When we make it back, don't tell Kaguya anything about this. She can't know that Chirain did this just for me. I don't even know why he did it, but he seems scared of Kaguya. We can't have her thinking that I'm going to betray her. And besides, there's nothing she can with the information otherwise."

"Yes milady," Karisso said, eyes focused on the road ahead.

"Karisso?" Nariari asked.

"Yes milady?"

"You won't ever betray me, right?"

"Of course not, milady, I would never do such a thing,"

"Good," Nariari said, before she leaned over and rested against his shoulder, "Cause I'll never do it to you." It was a promise. Karisso thought that she would make him do some childlike swear on it, but she did not.

And the fact that she slipped into sleep quickly explained why.

* * *

Earlier in that day, Kaguya had been sitting with Salathiel. It was at the dining room table, as she was taking something of an early lunch. She ate her food, as Salathiel ran through the list of members of the Negotiators that he believed she would want out of the party.

"Well, that's everyone who are not likely to be much of a help. They're loyal, but I doubt that they're abilities and specialties will be very helpful. But I don't think that getting rid of people who aren't as good as you want is going to help us very much…" Salathiel said.

"I don't really care about how good at politics they are," Kaguya said with a sigh, in between bites of her meal. She had to admit that Aksinya was very good at what she did.

"Then what do you care about?" Salathiel said, looking for something to tell the time, "I just spent ten minutes going on about people, and not once did you think of interrupting me because I wasn't giving you what you wanted?!"

"Well, I know now that at least you put effort into your job, and didn't try to skimp out on it," Kaguya said, satisfied, "I really want to know who really supports the cause,"

"I don't really know," Salathiel replied, "And I can't exactly find out. You'd have to talk to the people you think are bad, I can't just go up and ask them."

"We're not going to waste time with surveys," Kaguya said, "We get a final list of those who don't deserve to be here today."

"Deserve to be here?" Salathiel was astounded, "No matter what, they are supporting our goal, it's not just about worshipping the Earth!" He quickly shut himself up, however. Hurriedly, he stammered, "W-well, that is to say…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so…"

"No need," Kaguya said, remaining perfectly calm. "And I already had some others ask around." She clapped her hands. Nalini had been at the other end of the table, combing through legal texts from the past thousand years to find the best way to word the bill. Janessa had been assisting that girl with the text when Kaguya clapped.

They stood and walked a short distance down towards the woman. "It's not too hard to have maids ask other maids about these matters," Kaguya explained, "But fear not, your commentary has certainly narrowed the list down to one person, because the others actually have plenty of merits."

She snapped her fingers, and Janessa spoke first. "As you suspected, Alzazir is only somewha interested in the survival of the Earth. He did join the party around the beginning, but only because he wished to get wealth and power from taking down the stranglehold held by the Purists, some of which are staunch enemies of him for reasons other than views on the Earth."

Kaguya smiled, raising her eyebrows at Salathiel. "Well," she said, "It seems that he shall have to go. Nalini, anything more?"

"Well," the maid said, "I got some help from Ms. Beovil." The maid's voice took on an entirely different sound. "It appears that some of Alzazir's letters to some third-parties contain some sort of code, perhaps he is communicating with some other group. Perhaps he was responsible for the attempt on your life?"

Kaguya grinned, "Clever girl." She said.

"Alright then," Kaguya said, before turning back to Salathiel. "We need a completely legal way, and one that doesn't raise too many eyebrows, of getting Alzazir out of the party. If we can do this smoothly, then it shouldn't cause any trouble and only assist us in the long run. If we can't, then we should not try until we can. It is now your job to get him out. Keep it a secret."

Kaguya thought for a moment, then added in, "Even from Serafima."

"We worked together once…" Salathiel said, astounded that she was being considered a security leak.

"So?" Kaguya asked, "I drank the Hourai Elixir once…"

Salathiel put his head down, "I understand…I'll do this at once…" He stood up, head hung low.

"Don't be disappointed in yourself," Kaguya said, "It'd be simply foolish. I'm not saying you failed."

"You're treating me like a dog," Salathiel said lowly, "And you're just getting rid of a man who assists us greatly because you disagree with this beliefs."

"Do you believe in what I want to achieve,"

"Of course,"

"Then don't worry," Kaguya sighed, "And as for the dog part…well, let's just say that you are a dog. But I don't know what else you thought you would be, with the way you sucked up to me. So if you want to have some higher self-esteem, perhaps you should think about the way you are destroyed by your _master _making it seem like you aren't good enough. Only dogs do that."

Salathiel knew that Kaguya was right. He could not be angry at her. Kaguya stood up, footsteps carrying her softly across the floor. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Please," she whispered lowly, "I really do need help with all this. You're a dog, but you're one of the best I've ever had."

"I feel like you're insulting me…" Salathiel said.

"You want to make a difference," Kaguya stated, "And the way you can do that is by serving me, because you're the only one who can fulfill this job. And this time, don't try to kill yourself through overwork…"

Salathiel blushed, then nodded, "Yes ma'am," he replied, before a smile spread across his face. He happily strolled out of the room, off to fulfill his job. Nalini came up beside Kaguya.

"You worried about him?" she asked.

"I am," Kaguya nodded, before she turned around. "Nalini, keep an eye on Serafima, see if you can get to know what she knows about him. Janessa, keep an eye on Salathiel himself. We can't have him switching sides, ever. So make sure he stays in line. Tell me if he does anything that would be dangerous. Let him interact with Serafima, and let's hope that relationship is temporary…however…"

"It would provide a route to get Yui on our side?" Janessa asked. Kaguya got a smile on her face, then nodded.

"Exactly," she said, "So how about we let those two have their fun. If it becomes serious, then I want to know. We can make things much easier if we can handle this carefully."

* * *

Salathiel walked into his quarters. Chie was already there waiting for him. He had not eaten at Kaguya's quarters. He was not very hungry for some reason. "Hungry?" his rabbit asked as he entered.

"No," he replied, get something for yourself. The laptop and stacks of papers on the dining room table, which was frequently occupied by something other than food, told any observer that the rabbit had been compiling fuller reports on the various members of the party in order to submit them to Kaguya.

She already knew some things from the report Salathiel had made a few days before, but this was a more serious and complete look at them all. "We've a visitor," Chie said, gesturing towards the living room, positioned beside the long staircase leading to the second level of his room.

Serafima sat on the couch, a long white gown and blue capelet covering her. Her long hair stretched out about her as she looked at Salathiel. The man frowned upon seeing her. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"What do you want to know?" he asked, "It's obvious that you came here to ask about Kaguya,"

"Well, she had that big meeting this morning, right? I just want to make sure that she's not doing anything bad, and I figure that you would be the person to ask about that kind of stuff."

"Why do you think I'll tell?"

"Why should you not tell?" Serafima grinned, "We're all on the same team, right?"

She seemed to be onto something. Salathiel did his best to hide his fear at being uncovered. "There's nothing that you need to worry about," he promised her.

"Convince me of that," Serafima said.

"Why do I need to? We're all on the same team, right?" The woman nodded.

"Clever…" she commented, then stood up. "Well, I suppose that I won't be getting anywhere by staying here. I have better things to attend to. I was just making sure that there was absolutely nothing we needed to know."

"Kaguya just wanted to talk to us about her views," Salathiel said, "She knows Yui shares them after all, so she just wanted to make sure there wouldn't be any conflicting attitudes towards the goals of the party."

"You make it sound like she's making her own group," Serafima commented.

"I don't know why she would do that, she and Yui are good friends. She just hasn't seen the princess because she has been so occupied."

"I see," Serafima said, walking towards the door. "I'll drop this for the time being, provided that nothing else suspicious goes on. I hope we don't have to talk like this again."

"You don't want to see me again?" Salathiel asked as the woman walked past him, "Because that is what that sounds like,"

"I'd love to see you again," Serafima said, "Tonight, I'll tell your rabbit the location. Have a good day." She walked out of the door. Salathiel spun around in shock, astounded.

"Did she just ask me out on a date?" he asked. Chie chuckled.

"Yes sir, I believe she did." He looked at the rabbit, expecting her to be jealous for some reason.

"I'm a Lunar Rabbit, sir. I can't exactly go against your decisions. Besides, we're good partners. Moving beyond that would just hinder things."

"I'm not going anywhere with this!" he cried, but Chie just laughed at his words.

"Come on," she said, "You need the break."

"It'll be an interrogation," he sighed, "And the best part is that she's roughly a thousand years older than I."

"Verena is much older than Kaguya, doesn't stop them from-"

"I don't need that image!" Salathiel shouted, denying the common rumor that had always been around.

"You'll enjoy it," Chie said, as her master set his laptop down on the table. He walked in towards the kitchen. "And you'll have to dress up nicely for it, so I'll clean off your best."

"It's not a date," Salathiel said, "We've never seriously talked before the last twenty-four hours."

"We're in politics," Chie said, "A date doesn't have to be one about romance. We need Yui on our side, you know that."

"Kaguya put you up to this?"

"Nope, I'm just smart too sometimes," Chie had a smug grin as she cocked her head at Salathiel.

He groaned, "I just can't catch a break can I?"

"You signed up for this, so no, not really." Chie explained, "You have lots of work to do, but think about it this way. When it's all over, you will either be reduced to some low level, so you won't have to do anything like this, or you will be in a high position, so the same thing applies. One is certainly more preferable than the other, but the outcome is similar."

"I'm going to go take a nap," Salathiel said, trudging upstairs. He could barely keep his eyes open, and he didn't want to let Serafima down, even if he wasn't entirely invested in this excursion she had forced him on.

He fell into his bed, and fell into sleep quickly. It was safe to say that he was incredibly worried.

* * *

Toyohime and Yorihime were in a shuttle at the moment. Surrounded by rabbits in full armor. The rabbits were only escorting them there. Once at their location, they would have two hours to investigate, and then they would have to leave. The investigation had to be smooth and efficient, as no official inquiry had been ordered.

Doing it now would look suspicious, so this was highly under wraps. Toyohime and Yorihime had been ordered to interact as little as possible with Kaguya herself, and maintain a professional level of conduct at all times. This confirmed that somebody would be somehow watching the two women.

The craft touched down, and the once-princesses hurried out before the craft lifted off. The two were clad in their bone white LSDF uniforms, as was standard for them these days. Yorihime had her blade at her side, and Toyohime her fan and hat, two things she had managed to keep.

Awaiting them was an array of individuals. Kaguya stood at the forefront of the group. Beside her was Yui, while just behind her was Verena. Eleonore was behind Yui. Caohime was also beside Kaguya.

Toyohime walked ahead first. She and her sister bowed to Yui, before bowing, less deeply by a small margin, to Caohime. "Greetings," they said in unison. Toyohime would continue speaking.

"If you could please take us to the location of the incident." The two were not carrying anything else. Both had their phones, but the inspection was not in-depth at all. Because every other official group had not asked, Yui had not provided details about anything, so Toyohime figured that the reason for their lack of equipment was that the Purists just wanted a standard assessment. And it was of course a test of the sisters as well.

The two were led throughout the Kagome Mansion. They knew the place well, having visited many times in the past. They figured that Kaguya would be where she had stayed in previous visits, so they could have went there themselves. But that would have been impolite.

Led into Kaguya's room, Verena and Kaguya directed them about as they related the complete story of what had occurred. "So there was only one drone, just outside this window?" Yorihime stood next to the repaired window as she spoke. It was easy to replace the glass.

"Yes," Kaguya replied, "As far as I could tell, it was the only thing out there. I should count myself lucky that there weren't more." A delicate dance was unfolding between them all.

Kaguya didn't want to be too nice, as she didn't know their full views on her. But she did not want to be too distant. "Yes," Yorihime said as she looked out the window. The forest surrounding the mansion was what she saw. "Any idea the path it took to come towards the mansion?"

"None," Kaguya said, "Our tracking systems were entirely disabled…" She trailed off, letting the more experienced Caohime take over. Verena could have done so as well, but she couldn't have her maid talking too much. Not in this formal event.

"Our tracking systems, for this sector at least, were taken entirely off line during the night of the event. We have no idea what did it at the moment, but we suspect that there is a mole in our ranks. Little progress has been made. I shall provide a list of all suspects, but it is far too long to sum up now."

"Could we see the central control room for this sector of the mansion?" Toyohime asked.

They were led into the tight room, featuring multiple large monitors as well as rows of computer banks. The overall tracking, fire-control, and defense network for the mansion was linked into one room at the center, but was split into multiple sectors, each featuring their own fully-functioning system that could act on its own if the nexus was broken into.

"Do we know how exactly the network was breached?" Yorihime wondered.

"Not exactly. We believe that it was manual. There is no trace of any kind of virus anywhere, but we are still hunting. However, nothing can bury itself as deep as we have searched, so we doubt there's any chance of that being the explanation," Caohime explained.

"And there's that many people who have access to this room?"

"The issue is that many servants are assigned with keys to the sector control room of the area where they normally work, but they can be deactivated with the flip of a button if there is any kind of attack. We highly doubt that it was an external intruder that came in, because the keys are accompanied by verbal questioning, as well as fingerprint and retina scanning, of the maid whose key it is."

"So can't you just pull the records of who entered that night?"

"They were wiped as well," Caohime said with a shrug, "But that has to be expected. We're dealing with a coordinated strike here, not just some disgruntled youngster. I don't think anyone but one who has had training for years and years should have the kind of computer skill needed to do what has been done here."

"And you don't know for certain what maids are good with computers…" Yorihime guessed.

"Exactly," Caohime said, "We have a lot of people to deal with due to the size of the mansion. We're narrowed down the list, and extensive back-checking of the various maids in this sector should give us a suspect. We will handle her on our own, however, if one is found."

"Taking the law into your own hands?"

Kaguya spoke now, "I would prefer it this way," she said, "I know the laws, and I know that some allow nobles to dispense justice on their own servants provided that the crime was directly and seriously life-threatening, and proven behind a doubt."

"You mean you know that some _loopholes _allow that?" Toyohime asked.

"Then go back and fix the laws," Kaguya said with a shrug, "Until then, we shall use what we have."

Toyohime nodded, "May we see the drone which attacked you?"

They were brought into a storage room, where the wreckage of the small yet deadly craft was removed from a box and placed on a table. There it sat, a relic from the past. "This isn't Last War," Yorihime commented, "After that actually. I'd say it's about two-thousand five hundred or so, given that things were downgraded after the Last War."

"Correct," Caohime said, "It explains why it was so easily dealt with. We were lucky that it was not a Last War level model."

The sisters spent some more time looking at the drone, and obviously just thinking to themselves. Caohime sent her rabbits away, while Verena and Eleonore stayed close to their masters.

"So how do you intend to pursue this investigation?" Yorihime asked, "Just find the culprit? Then what, will you pursue whoever sent them? Or just let it all go?"

"We will let the party go, but we will deal with their spy ourselves," Kaguya said, "They will be punished, but the group behind that will hopefully do nothing of this sort again. I feel like it was meant to do nothing more than scare me. If you have to tell your superiors about its effect, then they can know that I didn't exactly care. It only assists me."

Yorihime nodded, "Well, we have about an hour left. Do you mind if we go outside and examine the area outside the window for some time, then we can call back."

"Certainly," Kaguya said.

The sisters were led out there, before Toyohime requested, "May we be alone?"

"That is no problem," Kaguya said, nodding to them with a smile before she walked back inside.

They were all alone now. Everything was absolutely silent. They moved around the grounds to beneath the window. A small garden was outside of Kaguya's quarters. Yorihime stood there, looking up at the window. "So this is absolutely solid," she remarked, "There's no holes we can poke in what they've said. We can't even go back and tell all this, because it's far too solid a defense."

"Correct," Toyohime said, "We have nothing to pick at here. So if they did want us to find something wrong, then we're going to fail."

"What if they didn't want that?" Yorihime asked, "What if they're expecting us to try and make problems, because we want to try and show our loyalty?"

"Don't go down that train of thought, please," Toyohime said, shaking her head at the idea of that wild train.

"Fine then, but we still can't come back, say that Kaguya is suspicious, then give out what we just learned. If this was a set-up by Kaguya, then it was really, incredibly good."

"So what do we do?" Yorihime concluded, "We can't make it seem like we're kissing up to them and lying, but we can't make it seem like we're kissing up to Kaguya and lying."

"I suggest we first figure out why they never came to investigate Kaguya in the first place," Toyohime said, "We all know that they refused to conduct any kind of official investigation. The key to all this is figuring out why they didn't do that."

"They didn't do it because they wanted to send us. This is just something to yank our chains, make us show our respect. So are you saying that we need to show our superiors respect, make it really do seem like we respect them?"

"Not at all," Toyohime shook her head, "If there really is something here, then why would the LSDF, the Purists as a whole, give up a chance to level some serious charges against Kaguya?"

"Because…" Yorihime trailed off. Toyohime didn't really know either. They thought about what they knew. _Because…because…_Yorihime's eyes widened as she remembered them talking about how all eyes are on Kaguya. "Ohhh," she said then explained, "Everyone is watching Kaguya. If they walk in, and decide that there was more happening than what is being said, but can't provide any solid evidence for that, then they are in serious trouble. With this level of cover-up, they'd have to conduct a long, arduous investigation, and knowing Kaguya, she'd easily spin things completely around. I bet that even if they found her guilty, Kaguya would have already started a fire."

"Exactly!" Toyohime realized, "They would have investigated if they knew there was nothing, and they would have investigated if they knew there was definitive proof of some conspiracy! But since they couldn't know, they couldn't investigate! We are expected to come back saying that there was some evidence of something larger going on, but we don't have anything to go on. They'll be satisfied with their choice, and they can preserve their reputation."

Yorihime nodded, "Well then," the purple-haired women said, "Let's wait a little longer, make it seem like we are being thorough. We run out the clock till about fifteen minutes left, then call, so it doesn't seem like we're intentionally waiting around."

"And Kaguya?" Toyohime asked. The atmosphere of the two changed.

"We stay away from her as much as possible," Yorihime declared, "We just spend some more time studying various things we deem relevant. We can't get involved in a conversation with her now." The guilt and self-hated in her voice was evident, and it was clear on Toyohime's face as well.

"This whole thing was our fault, wasn't it?" Toyohime asked, "She wouldn't have let all this happen if she'd been here…"

"But she committed a crime…" Yorihime shook her head, "No, you're right…she acts like she's forgiven us, but she can't have truly. We…we really did cause all this, and she has to know that."

"So we just stay away from her…" Toyohime said, "Till this all is over, and we can just settle down and live normal lives till the end…"

"Things won't end that badly," Yorihime insisted.

"You don't know, do you?" Toyohime asked, as Yorihime turned towards the doors back inside. Her sister started walking.

"I don't," Yorihime said as she moved, "But a part of me hopes that good deeds are rewarded at some point. I have protected this Moon for far too long to be reduced to this state forever."

Toyohime watched her sister go, knowing that they would forever have different views. Toyohime...she just wished that there would be peace. She didn't mind if that peace was a one that was terrible for her. She just wanted peace.

She gazed up at the sky before following her sister. She saw the sun setting, and the Earth becoming even more visible.

Some part of her wished that she would truly experience that place for once.

* * *

It had been a while since Kaguya had been over the side of the mansion which contained Yui's quarters. Only over a thousand years had passed since then. Despite Kaguya being in the mansion for the past few days, she had yet to have a serious, long conversation with Yui.

Indeed, she had been starting to worry about the appearance she was putting out. But luckily, there was a chance to remedy things, as Kaguya finally found some time to cool down, with all her servants running about getting work done for her.

She walked out onto the balcony outside of Yui's room. It was the largest in the mansion, and the balcony outside was equally magnificent. Yui sat beside a small table, the glass chair she sat on seeming blue as Kaguya saw the small pond beside it.

The large stretch of balcony was practically made into a garden, with real dirt. Rows of small trees and plants ran down the length of the thing, with the ground being real dirt. The trees above the garden only added to the atmosphere of the place. Kaguya felt for a moment like she was back in the bamboo forest on the Earth, the one that she had become so very used to.

She walked towards the princess, a saucer of tea on a small saucer already sitting beside her seat. The larger kettle was in the middle of the table. It was about ten or so in the morning on the third full day of Kaguya's presence on the Moon.

Verena was walking up beside Kaguya, but Yui frowned as she saw the girl approach. Verena knew the sign, and a simple gesture from Kaguya sent her back inside. The doors were shut, and the walls were enough to protect anyone else from hearing. Kaguya also felt something she had not felt in a long time.

"You don't want anyone listening, do you?" Kaguya asked as she sat, eyes scanning the area as she felt the taste of inlaid magic.

"I like being alone," Yui said, as an explanation for the deafening field around the entire balcony, which would prevent anyone outside the place from hearing anything. And there was an even smaller one set up around Kaguya and Yui themselves, just to prevent anyone who had somehow gotten closer.

"I see that," Kaguya said with a grin, as she relaxed back into the chair of glass. It was strangely comfortable, despite the material it was seemingly made out of. She had to admit that she was impressed, as some new type of craftsmanship seemed to have come about with the era of peace, even in the last thousand years.

"So why bring me out here now?" Kaguya asked, her eyebrows raised. Her tone was serious, obviously expecting something of a serious nature.

"Can we not make this a business conversation?" Yui asked. Her eyes were focused on Kaguya for the first sentence. The next sentence would see her gaze slipping forwards again. "We…were friends once, you know?"

"Are we no longer friends?" Kaguya asked, lifting her tea to her mouth and sipping from it. She had not had much to eat or drink since she had first arrived, and she certainly missed the taste of this high-quality tea on the Earth.

"Given the way you have been acting, with the amount you've been avoiding me, it would seem that way," Yui said.

"Sorry I've been busy," Kaguya said. She was planning on staying inside today, so she had her old clothes from the Earth washed, and had put them on. She had yet to get used to anything fancier than those. "I had a lot to do the first couple days, getting things organized. Now that I at least have people who I know I can trust, I can calm down a little bit."

"You can't trust me?" Yui asked.

Kaguya sighed, "That's not true," she said, "I meant people who can do the things I require. You are good at many things, but I needed others."

Yui was jealous. Kaguya could tell from the look in her eyes. It was a pervasive jealousy, one that could cause some serious issues. "Well…" she muttered, "How are you enjoying the Moon so far?"

"It's certainly bringing back some memories," Kaguya said, "But I'm not sure if I can really enjoy it here." She prayed Yui wouldn't ask the one question.

"Will you be staying?" Yui asked, "Even when you resolve this? Or are you going to abandon us?"

"I don't know," Kaguya said, "As of right now, I intend to stay here for as long as necessary, but I feel that I won't ever be accepted truly back into the fold."

"But you only have Eirin on Earth, right?" Yui asked, "It's not like you have anyone else back there?"

"Yes…" Kaguya said, but nothing more. They sat in silence, simply drinking from their cups without a word passing between them. There was not a sound from anywhere else.

"How was it there?" Yui asked, "Living on that other place for so long? I can't imagine you enjoyed it very much?"

Kaguya figured she would have to choose her words very carefully. "It was not as bad as they like to say, but it was no paradise. I got used to it."

"How's Eirin?"

"She's alright," Kaguya said, "Whatever she was up to back here before she was banished she seems to have dropped. But I can't say for certain. She's a happy person, certainly friendlier than before, more than I am at least. She even enjoys helping the humans of Gensokyo when it comes to medicine."

"She does?"

"Indeed. I can't say I like associating myself with them all, but she seems to enjoy living amongst them. I guess she never really did fit in here after a time."

"I get the feeling she's almost a relic of old pre-Purity days," Yui said, "So she'd be better off on the Earth."

"Yes," Kaguya said, "She and I lived in a mansion we found there. Called Eientei. It's very old, but thanks to my powers it stays the way it is. We befriended the Earth rabbits down there, and they live in the mansion as well, but they're closer to Eirin than to me."

"I assume Elle told you about that rabbit that ran away from the LSDF?" Yui asked.

"Yes," Kaguya said, "Don't know where she might have gone, however."

"Come on, Kaguya," Yui said, "I can tell when you're lying, you know her well."

The dark-haired woman nodded, "She sought asylum, and we have it. She's useful, and I like her, so there's no issue. The only problem is that she has a terrible case of post-traumatic stress disorder."

"She was supposedly in Black Ops," Yui said, "But other than that, I know little about her."

"She was in that unit," Kaguya said, "And she's not at all proud of some things she's done, it seems."

"So that would be why she did not accompany you back here?" Yui asked.

"Yes, she was terrified at the prospect of anyone coming from the Moon. She was incredibly defensive of me when the emissaries came to get me. We had to send her after some annoying earthlings, or else she would have attacked the emissaries."

Yui nodded. She was silent for a short while. "Anyone else on Earth you want me to know of?"

Kaguya knew she couldn't lie to Yui. "There's another one of…me," she muttered under her breath, looking down in embarrassment.

"Of you?"

"Immortal," Kaguya replied, "There's another one,"

"How?!"

"When I first came to the Earth, and for a long time after my arrival, humans sought my hand in marriage. An endless array of suitors came seeking me, so I sought to drive them away. I created a test. If any could bring me five certain items, all of which I already had as relics from the Moon, then they could marry me. Countless numbers died on the quest, or were driven mad by their inability to succeed."

"One of them failed, and in his rage, became a very bad father to his child. His daughter, a girl by the name of Mokou, was abused by her self-hating father. When he finally ended himself out of shame, Mokou stole the elixir from Eirin before we could stop her, and drank it. She did it so that no matter what, she could always keep hurting me in revenge for what I've done to her."

"You're ashamed of all that?" Yui asked.

"Of course I am," Kaguya said, "I killed so many, thinking that it didn't matter because they were just humans…how wrong I was. Now there's a one thousand year old girl who hates me, and will keep hating me until the end of the universe itself."

"Where is she now?"

"In Gensokyo. We kill each other multiple times every week. It's routine at this point, but we still hate each other. Not as much as so long ago, but still…"

"What reason do you have to hate her?" Yui asked, "If you admit your crimes, and understand that you were in the wrong, can you not just apologize?"

"For a while, I hated her because I thought she was stupid. I was angry, because she was angry at me, and because she had taken the Hourai Elixir. I hoped that no one else would be enough of a fool to do that. And now…well, we can't just stop fighting after one thousand years, can we?"

"I think so," Yui said, "Have you ever tried?"

"No," Kaguya was ashamed to say.

"Well then…" Yui said softly, her voice trailing off. "Kaguya," she was stern now, "I need to know for certain. What do you really think of the Earth?"

"It is the most beautiful place I have seen in the past four thousand years," Kaguya said. "Only the Moon before the Last War can exceed it. I like consistency and security, but I was so incredibly bored. On the Earth, I always found some new thing that was so wondrous. Waking up every day and wondering what would happen, it was amazing. A far cry from the tedium that is 'purity'. I shall return there when I am finished here. I enjoyed it more than I did the Age of Purity, at least after the first thousand years of that age."

"So now you know," Kaguya said, "So please, tell me what you think. If you hate me for this, then tell me. If you want to drive me out, then I'll leave. Just please, at least respect my opinion."

"I agree with it," Yui said, "You learned to love the Earth after some thousand years of being there. I loved it from the moment I set foot on it. I visited it once, back long before you were banished. You see, you enjoyed the security provided by the Age of Purity, you enjoyed the peace at first…"

"But you were Princess Kaguya, the girl who could have ruled the Moon if she had really wanted to. You had the respect of all. Sure, your parents weren't exactly respectable figures, but the reputation you carved out is still a subject of discussion to this very day. It's why you came back to such fanfare, because of how great you were."

"But I was Princess Yui. Who knew who Princess Yui was? They only knew that she was the daughter of two of the foulest war criminals in the Last War. Clearly she was going to carry on their legacy of tyranny and cruelty. The ridicule, the disrespect I was shown every day. I had no reputation I needed to uphold. So I went down to the Earth, just to visit."

Yui smiled as she recalled the memory. "It's why I made this entire garden, because I loved the Earth so much. It was a place of peace despite the chaos, of such incredible complexity. The atrocity that was the Last War burned all concept of anything besides rigidity and unchanged bringing about peace from our minds, replacing it with the idea that only a strict society could possibly save the race. And maybe it was right. Maybe it was wrong. I would have stayed, if it weren't for the fact that I felt scared, like I might suffer in the end for the choice."

She shrugged as she looked at Kaguya, "It was wonderful, being there for a few hours. One day I would like to return, maybe even stay there forever…"

Kaguya nodded, "I would like that. So one day, perhaps."

Yui nodded. She took a deep breath, then looked around, as if to assure that no one was watching. She looked back at Kaguya, and then started to lowly speak. "I am going to be honest with you. I don't like purity. The concept is silly, the entire thing is. I can't possibly agree with what it advocates. It has done nothing. It has only driven us to a state of xenophobia, paranoia, and elitism that mimics the way things were before the Last War, and now threatens to drive us towards another such event…"

Her hands went to her face as Kaguya saw tears glimmer in her eyes. "I'm so sorry…but I can't stand the way things are now. I wish they would go back to the way things were so long ago, before things all started to fall apart. Long before the Last War. I barely remember that time, but it's still there in a way, like a faint, distant star."

Kaguya felt the sadness of the princess across from her. "I'm sorry," she said, "But we can't really go back to that time."

"No!" Yui shouted, "It's not that time, things will only deteriorate again! We need the influence of some place like Earth! That's the only way this broken society can be fixed. We nearly wipe ourselves from the universe, and then try to fix the problems, which leads to the approach of another disaster! Our society, the whole way we live our lives is broken, and it needs to be fixed…"

Yui's hands fell from her face, and she started rocking back and forth in her chair, mumbling hushed words with empty eyes. "It's broken, it's all broken. There's something…something wrong!" She shuddered in fright as Kaguya stood.

The same words were repeated as Kaguya quickly moved to kneel down beside the chair, hands going to Yui's head. "Yui," she said softly, "Listen to me, please! It's alright!"

Yui shook her head, tears flowing from her eyes as she declared, "There's something wrong with all of this!" She turned her head towards Kaguya, "I can feel it, something's deeply not right…"

"What's not right, what do you mean?" Kaguya asked, almost demanding answers from Yui.

"I've met with Chirain, you know that right?" Yui asked, rambling on, "He seems like a good person. He's no genocidal maniac. He's no madman. They have a reason for their behavior, and it's no selfish one. They're…they're scared of something...aren't they?"

"Yui, calm down," Kaguya asked. Her softly spoken words and gentle hands did calm Yui somewhat. The princess nodded, trying to stifle her tears as Kaguya wiped the moisture from her cheeks.

"It's alright," Kaguya said, "You've just been under a lot of stress. But don't worry, I'm here now, and I can handle everything." Yui nodded, and stopped shaking, tears no longer freely flowing. She took deep breaths, as Kaguya knelt beside her.

"Thank you," Yui whispered gently, eyes staring into Kaguya's.

She thought for a moment, and then asked, sincerely, "What do you want from all this?"

"I want peace," Yui said, "I want the Moon to be fixed…but sometimes, I even want to just leave this place…I don't know what I really want…"

Kaguya stood up. She took a deep breath. She told herself that what she was doing was a huge mistake, and that she would regret it. That did not stop her from doing what she did. "Yui Kagome," she said, "I promise that no matter what you wish from me, I will do all in my power to make it come true." It was a mistake, she knew that then.

But the smile on Yui's face made her forget about that. As Yui jumped up from her seat to throw her arms around Kaguya and tightly embrace her, the former princess knew she had made the right choice. "Thank you!" Yui shouted, the joy clear in her voice.

Kaguya held her back, and felt deep in her heart that maybe she had made the right choice by coming all the way here. Perhaps it wasn't a foolish journey which she had embarked upon. She smiled, proud of herself.

And proud that she had not lost one of her closest friends.

* * *

**Events in Gensokyo are going to start being shown a lot more after this chapter, which is nice I suppose. **


	14. The Seams Start to Show

Kaguya was awoken later that night by a knock at the door. "Come in," she called. A girl entered. It was Aksinya. She was shyly standing right beside the entryway.

"Hello ma'am," she said softly, "I was wondering if I could speak to you. It is vital that I do so now."

Kaguya would have hated to drive away one of her own maids who as just trying to help, so she let the girl approach. Kaguya sat on the side of the bed, staring at the maid who stood a few feet from her.

"Go on," Kaguya insisted, seeing that Aksinya was obviously very afraid to begin. She stood shakily, breaths coming short and quick. She closed her eyes, letting her body go on autopilot.

"Ma'am…Kaguya," she whispered, "The maids who are under you now, save for Verena, have all been assembled by Yui to give you a team. She made sure to seek out these individuals, sometimes even assisting in their loss of a job so that she could ensure you had a competent force to start with."

"So?" Kaguya asked, not quite understanding what the point was.

"I lied to you," Aksinya said, "Maybe I didn't lie, because you never asked me. But I have been hiding something from you for a long time now. Well, three days isn't very long, but perhaps it is far too long for this secret…"

Kaguya waited while the blonde-haired girl took a deep breath. Her words came quickly and frantically. "Princess Kagome assigned me to report back to her on your actions and movements. She wants to know everything you plan, everything you tell us. It's not that she distrusts you, or is afraid of you, she just doesn't want you acting foolishly!" Aksinya was breathing hard.

Kaguya smiled, "Aksinya…why could I ever be mad at something like that?" Her voice was sweet, obviously forgiving in tone as she stood up. She turned towards the nightstand beside her bed, showing her back to Aksinya. "You've been such a good girl, and you did tell me after all, so I can't fault you for that."

Kaguya's fingers clasped shut around something on that stand. She turned around holding the Hourai Branch. There was a bright flash before Aksinya was lying on her back, unconscious. Kaguya restrained herself from doing anything more.

"Verena," she called, figuring that the maid had been listening from the outside. The girl entered.

"Verena," Kaguya said softly, gesturing to Aksinya, "Aksinya has…been very stressed out in the past few days. In fact, I've given her a day or so of bed rest for mental health reasons. It would be terrible if her performance is drastically affected because I've overworked her. Make sure she is comfortable, and inform Yui, wouldn't want her being too worried."

"Yes ma'am," Verena said, as she slung Aksinya over her shoulder and left the room. Kaguya smiled as she saw the girl go. She got back into bed, deciding to deal with the little dissenter in the morning.

* * *

Aksinya woke with pain. She gasped at first, feeling a wave of sharp pain hit her. She shuddered in shock, aware of the fact that the whole left side of her face was in pain. She struggled to remember. _Kaguya…_Aksinya remembered with a shiver…_she didn't…she wouldn't. _

Yet the pain was there. Shaking, Aksinya quickly looked around. She found that she was on her bed. Her body was tied spread-eagled to the posts of the bed. While Lunarians were naturally stronger than even some youkai, the ropes were the special enchanted shimenawa used to bind supernatural creatures like herself. She wasn't gagged, but she knew full well that her quarters were within Kaguya's apartments. Any cries wouldn't reach help.

She stared upwards at the ceiling, hoping that Kaguya would come to pass judgment soon. And sure enough, only a few minutes would pass before the former princess entered to check on the girl within.

Kaguya grinned just a little as she pulled a chair up beside Aksinya. "So…" she sighed, taking a seat and leaning back, "What inspired you to betray me?" Her voice was cold, unforgiving. Her gaze was the same. Aksinya felt a series of shivers pass through her body.

Aksinya's eyes as they stared at Kaguya begged for mercy. "I didn't betray you. Yui asked me to do this. I didn't tell her anything about your whole plan to take power. I just told her your plans for the bill, and other things I've heard from you talking with Verena."

Kaguya had been carrying something. It was a knife. She twirled it around idly in her right hand as she sat there. Kaguya nodded. "Well…tomorrow, I am going to tell Yui that, unfortunately, our personalities clash, and you can't serve me anymore. However, it turns out that it's very easy to heal non-fatal wounds these days. So I might just have fun with you till…no, wait a minute…" Kaguya's eyes brightened.

"That incident," Kaguya said, "Perhaps _you _were the one responsible. We can have someone to present to the LSDF after all, no need to keep faking things. And because of those certain laws, it will be perfectly just for Yui to let me have some fun with you. But not as much fun as I can illegally have…" Kaguya had a sadistic, almost maniacal, edge to her voice that made Aksinya shudder, as the knife was moved closer towards her face.

The knife was aimed towards the untouched right side of her face. "Let's start here," Kaguya said with a sick, twisted grin, "Keep thinking about how you did this to yourself…"

Aksinya cried out, "Yui asked me to! I withheld information for you! Please, forgive me! I'll do anything!"

Kaguya grabbed her mouth, fingers reaching in to hold onto her tongue. Aksinya's eyes went wide as she realized what was about to happen. "Did you know?" Kaguya asked, "That without a tongue, it's rather hard to whine like you are doing now?"

Aksinya nodded. "Let's test that out…" She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the deed happen.

Nothing happened. Kaguya asked, whispering gently into Aksinya's ear, "Will you never betray me? Not as long as you are in my service?"

Aksinya nodded. "Do you swear to the gods, to your purity, on your life and soul?"

Aksinya nodded. She felt the ropes being undone. Her eyes shot open. Kaguya cast the knife aside, and Aksinya's eyes widened as the girl gently pulled up her clothes again, and gently raised her into the air. "Apparently Sabina studied healing in her spare time, so she'll help with that. Then you will get some rest. And then you will report that Azazir was responsible for the breach of security. He wasn't, but he needs to go."

Kaguya laid her down on her bed. "Why do all that?" Aksinya asked, "If you were going to forgive me?"

"Because I can't have you betraying me ever," Kaguya said with a smile, "Will you betray me ever?"

Aksinya shook her head. "Then you know why I did that." Kaguya said, "I wanted to establish the ground rules. Call it barbaric, but I don't like betrayal. Sabina will be here soon." Kaguya laid down next to Aksinya, petting the young girl's hair gently. "You made a wise choice coming here, Aksinya," Kaguya said, "You shall be most useful."

The girl frowned at first, but then smiled brightly at the approval of her master. Kaguya smiled back. Both smiles were sincere.

* * *

A loud cry echoed throughout Eientei. Unlike other cries that had echoed throughout the mansion in previous days, this one was not of pain, hate, or anything terrible like that. It was simple frustration. Frustration about a very complex subject.

Fujiwara no Mokou could not possibly understand how anyone had ever created the Lunarian language in the first place. She had been studying for almost two days straight, putting in around twelve hours a day to Eirin's lessons. For once, she truly paid attention to learning something, and was only rewarded with frustration and confusion.

She had yet to grasp the pronunciation of most syllables in the language, and while managing basic vowels, she found that her tongue was actually unable to formulate some of the sounds she was being asked to make. "What do you expect me to do?!" she cried at Eirin, who stood with a sigh in front of the girl. An unused room, only one of many, had been taken aside for the purposes of this teaching.

Eirin stood in front of a whiteboard, upon which she had previously inscribed the basic syllables of Lunarian. Mokou could write most of them in an acceptable manner, but she had yet to be able to remember more than two or three at a time.

"I expect you to at least put effort into this!" Eirin shouted, "Never before have I seen this level of laziness in anyone! Save Kaguya, that is…"

"I'm not Lunarian!" Mokou shouted, standing up. She had taken two days now. It was her third day at the moment. "I've gotten nowhere! How is this going to help me?!"

"Because speaking Japanese up there, or having to use some kind of translation method, is not going to help the bed of snakes you want to step into. It's like attaching even more bait to yourself!"

"Then what do I do?!"

"Don't go," Eirin's voice was stern all of a sudden, dropping in volume as a glare that could freeze gods forced Mokou a step back, making the girl almost fall back over her chair. "You won't help Kaguya in any way. She's going to regret the decision she made, and you won't make it any better for her. I don't even know why you want to go in the first place."

"I want to see her," Mokou said, "I'm not letting her run away from-"

"Stop making excuses," Eirin cut her off brutally, venom filling her words. "There are either two options. You think you can help her succeed, which maybe you can do. Or, you love-"

"I don't!" Mokou shouted, "Don't say that word in relation to her ever again! I merely wish to help her, so that she can get back down here as soon as possible. I already told you, I'm immortal, and I'd like to stick with the one person who I know will always be alive with me!"

Eirin said nothing further on that topic. She nodded, her back turned to the girl. "Sit down, and I'll try to do what I can for you, seeing as how you refuse to let this issue go. Your clothes I ordered shall arrive soon, and Reisen will be ready to take you in a few days."

The doctor sighed, going back to what she was saying before. Mokou sat back down after a few seconds, angered at Eirin, but willing to do what she must for Kaguya. Her focus waxed and waned over the course of the next few minutes, before there was a knock at the door. Eirin called for the knocker to enter.

"Ms. Izayoi is here," a rabbit said as she cracked the door open.

Eirin nodded, "Thank you," the rabbit scampered away as Eirin put the marker she held down, and walked towards the door. Her hand seemed to move and take something from something by the door. Mokou stood as well, following the white-haired women.

A glance to the side as she left revealed that the doctor had taken an arrow, from the quiver that, for some unknown reason, sat beside the door. The doctor's bow was nowhere to be seen.

They made their way through the mansion, Eirin somehow knowing where the maid would be waiting. She was in a small room at the edge, the door open to the outside. It was the same room where Eirin had spoken to Yukari.

Sakuya stood near the door, holding a large, yet thin, box in her hands. She bowed her head low to Eirin and Mokou as they stepped into the room. "Greetings, Ms. Yagokoro, Ms. Fujiwara,"

"Hello," Eirin replied. Sakuya handed the box to Eirin, who took it under her arm. "Thank you," the doctor said. The maid bowed again.

"It was no trouble, Ms. Yagokoro. Anything else you require?"

"No thank you," Eirin said, "You may go." Sakuya nodded, but then spoke more.

"Excuse me, but if you do not mind me asking, milady wonders why it was necessary for me to create such fine dress for Ms. Fujiwara?" The maid's tone was polite, almost giving Mokou an insatiable sense of rage at this.

Eirin handed the box to Mokou. "Get dressed," she said. It was less a request, more an order. The immortal was clearly displeased with the obvious command, but she walked away nevertheless.

Eirin took a deep breath, "Your lady asked you to ask me, correct?" A nod. "So you must give her the answer, correct?" Another nod. "Then I am afraid…I cannot say why." Eirin sounded truly sad. _Should have known…_Sakuya thought.

"I understand," Sakuya said, "Do you need anything more?"

"You enjoy serving that vampire?" Eirin asked.

"Yes, I enjoy it," Sakuya said, not questioning at all why Eirin asked the question. At least not on any observable manner. "I would not take anything over it."

"Sounds more like the words of a slave forced to talk like that to me," Eirin said.

Sakuya's face looked downcast now. "I assure you that milady has no malicious intentions towards myself. I ask you to perhaps refrain from insulting milady?"

"Sorry," Eirin said, "I guess I just worry sometimes…"

Sakuya's pinky finger twitched as she thought just a bit less of the Lunarian. Barely. Eirin didn't even see it, such was the speed and tininess of the action. Sakuya waited, seeing if anything more would be said. "Your payment…" Eirin said, reaching for something she had concealed in her sleeve.

"It is not necessary, Ms. Yagokoro." Sakuya's tone was polite, the same gentle grin on the face.

Eirin held out an arrow for Sakuya. It was finely made, from materials that did not seem to come from the Earth. "Here," Eirin said, "Consider it a gift, if you cannot accept payment." Sakuya frowned briefly, then nodded.

"Thank you," she said.

"You may go," Eirin said. Sakuya bowed again, turned around, and exited the mansion. Eirin watched the door close, and then sighed. "That girl…" she muttered, "How...?" Her sentence ended immediately as she heard a sound behind her.

Reisen was stumbling into the room, escorted by Tewi. The rabbit was limping, a cane supporting her movements. Her breathing was rough, and Eirin could see the obvious pain on her face. The earth rabbit had to help the lunar rabbit along.

"Hello Eirin," Reisen said with a nod.

"Reisen, how are you doing?" Eirin asked, approaching the two girls.

"A bit better than yesterday," Reisen muttered, her words low as her breath came slowly. "But I can still barely walk on my own."

"You should be fine by tomorrow," Eirin promised, "Don't worry,"

"You say that," Reisen growled, gasping out as she took a step again, "But every time it takes me too long to move, my muscles are frozen up again."

"Jarring the body is the best way to recover from anything negative related to resurrection" Eirin said, "If we had better facilities and materials, then we could get you back up faster, but as it is, you should be happy that you'll be up in less than two weeks. Without the medicines I prepared in the last few days, you'd still be unconscious in bed."

"Thanks," Reisen said, as Eirin went down the hall to follow Mokou. "Thanks for everything,"

"Thanks for agreeing to do this. Kaguya could use your help up there, I'm betting." And unlike with Mokou, Eirin was not lying.

* * *

Mokou was suffocating. She stared in the mirror, her face twisted in shock as she looked upon the body that could not be hers. Covered in a strange, alien substance, it looked like a completely different Mokou. But as a shuddering hand was raised to her face, Mokou realized that it was her in this outlandish attire.

The hand, covered by a glove, didn't even feel right. Maybe it was the room, maybe it was the temperature of the day, but Mokou was dying of heat exhaustion. She looked frantically around, trying to find the fire that had broken out.

Only that could have heated her like this…this thing did. Backing away from the tall piece of glass, Mokou cringed as she saw herself all dressed up in the suit that had been made for her.

It fit her body snugly. A very dark blue jacket with long coattails coming from the back, the collar covering the entirety of her neck. Underneath the jacket was a bone white undercoat. And around her neck, taking the place of a tie, was an ebony black scarf. It was thin, and the shorter loose end stretched down her right shoulder, while the longer loose end went down the middle of her chest and tucked into the jacket she wore. Long pants, of the same color as the jacket, covered her legs, fitting into two high boots, with a roughly one inch heel. Thin black gloves fit onto her hands.

It was a mix of various styles. Eirin had designed it, saying that it would fit in to an extent on the Moon. Mokou didn't believe this. She didn't like this at all. The door came open. Eirin burst out laughing the moment she saw Mokou's distress at what she was currently dressed up in.

"No need to be so embarrassed," Eirin teased, laughing heartily as the immortal panicked, charging towards the door with an intent to shut it. Still laughing, the doctor forced it open, as Mokou tripped over the heels and fell onto her back.

Mokou's face was burning up. Whether it was embarrassment, or the actual confinement of the suit was a good question. She didn't have the answer to it. "Can I take it off?" Mokou asked.

"No," Eirin replied, "You need to get used to that, or else you're not going to fit in up there."

"Shut up," Mokou said, looking away as Eirin stared at her.

"Come on, Mokou, you look great in that," Eirin said. Mokou blushed even harder as she realized the compliment wasn't sarcastic. She shot up, and rushed for the door. Eirin didn't see the wild charge coming, and was brushed aside as Mokou ran down the hallway, embarrassment driving her quickly away.

Eirin stood there laughing for a good few minutes, as the immortal proceeded to brighten the day of the other earth rabbits who saw her crazed attempt to find a place where no one else was.

Which was of course difficult when one was attracting an entire mansion with her cries.

* * *

The Saigyouji Ayakashi had not been in full bloom for a long time now. Yuyuko sometimes wondered if it would be worth it, seeing that beauty again, despite the fact that she had no lives left to give to the youkai. It was certainly a sight to behold even in its current state of dismay. Sitting on the deck of Hakugyokurou, her eyes went up and down the height of the grand tree.

Hushed yet deep breaths came from her lap. Youmu had fallen asleep, and with some coaxing, her resting body had fallen into Yuyuko's lap. Softly, her short hair was petted by Yuyuko's gentle hands.

The ghost wondered how the rabbit that had visited was doing. _What are those annoying immortals even doing over there? Kaguya going back to the Moon? Mokou joining her…just silly…maybe…_Yuyuko's face brightened, and a grin spread across her lips. _Maybe they'll find a way to die, and I can have even more friends!_ She chuckled to herself, even about the silliness of hoping people to die.

Footsteps suddenly appeared at her side, as a pair of heels came from nowhere. Yuyuko said nothing a Yukari sat down beside her. Eyes were cast up towards the cherry blossom tree was well, as Yukari scooted closer to her longtime friend.

"Hello," Yuyuko said, "How are you today?"

"Quite alright," Yukari said, taking a deep breath, as if to relax from something.

"What happened?"

"The vampire, she called me in, because apparently someone hinted at a bit too much when the maid was delivering something."

"Hmmm?" Yuyuko hadn't heard this part of the story yet.

"Sakuya was asked to create a suit for Mokou. Eirin apparently said and did things suspicious enough to incite Remilia to call me in. The result was…not pleasant…"

"A whiner, isn't she?" Yuyuko thought of the annoying nature of the seemingly prepubescent vampire.

"Not in the slightest, but that's the issue. She's too smart for her own good. I'd say that Gensokyo bores her, and we're just lucky that she's surrounded herself with such a varied cast, or else she'd be causing trouble, a practical equivalent of our mutual 'friend' the amanojaku."

"Where did that thing even scurry off to anyways?" Yuyuko asked.

"The inchling princess set out to find her, seems ready to forgive her, from Reimu's observations. Can't imagine why, but maybe the miko was wrong. No matter, she's no longer causing trouble, and Reimu's actual declaration of the death sentence was a bit rushed. It'll only cause trouble in the long run, makes her look a bit too crazed, given that Seija just messed around with the higher youkai. The lower ones, as well as the humans, aren't going to think any higher of Reimu because of all this…"

"Back on topic," Yukari shook her head, clearing her mind of the other current events. "Remilia was quite annoying. I managed to dodge most of her questions, then make up some excuse for me to leave. She can tell that Eirin and Sakuya have some kind of connection, so she's going to use her maid to try and find out more."

"A connection?" Yuyuko asked, "I can see what you're saying, but what is the connection?"

"I have no idea," Yukari said. She tore her eyes away from the Saigyouji Ayakashi, now focusing on Yuyuko. "But Eirin was…disturbed to see Sakuya back during the imperishable night incident, from what I understand of events. It doesn't matter now though, as we need something to distract Remilia and her lackeys."

"An incident, perhaps?" Yuyuko asked. She gestured to the tree as she turned her head to gaze at her friend. "We could always use that as an excuse…"

"No, Reimu and Marisa would jump on that. They're bored, and the Moriyas would send a representative as well. I wouldn't be surprised if half the population jumps at the chance to do something that big. The incident would end too quickly, and with Reimu's recent bout of fanaticism, I get the feeling that something would go too far, especially since this would be a repeat offense."

"So what do we do?" Yuyuko wasn't as concerned as Yukari was.

"Maybe I'm overthinking. Remilia is bored, but she'll tell if we try to play her. We have to do something else. And now that Mokou and Reisen are leaving, there will be even more of a chance for more people to find out. There's a lot of people who don't need to know about this whole event that is unfolding."

"Then your plan is?"

"I'll figure something out. For the time being though, I'll just keep throwing up as many shrouds and barriers as possible. I'll talk to Eirin about keeping quieter in the future. There's not much that can be done besides that."

"You sure you don't want me to wake her up?" Yuyuko once again glanced at the tree.

"I'd really prefer we don't get to that point," Yukari said. She chuckled, "You know, if things do come to war, then we could just wake that thing up and put it on the Moon."

"That's just terrible," Yuyuko chuckled back, "Truly evil, you are."

"Well you know, I'm the gap hag," Yukari stood up, about to step back into the opening gap.

"Only seventeen…plus about two thousand years," Yuyuko laughed, then ducked as a bolt of energy shot past her to dissipate against the ground.

"I'm seventeen," Yukari laughed heartily as she disappeared into the opening in space.

"I won't tell Reimu, don't worry!" Yuyuko shouted, wondering if she could be heard by the exiting youkai. She smiled at the place where Yukari had been. She looked back to the tree that she was buried under after a few moments.

Youmu stirred a little, woken by the commotion between the two old friends. "Shhhh," Yuyuko said, "It's alright, I'm here." Youmu curled up tighter, then her eyes shot open as she suddenly awoke.

It didn't take long for the girl to jump out of Yuyuko's lap, panic in her eyes as she quickly stood up. "Sorry!" she shouted, "I'm sor-I didn't-didn't mean to fall asleep!" She stood at attention, before dropping down to her knees.

Yuyuko laughed at the actions of the girl, as Youmu actually shook out of fright. "Come on, Youmu!" She shouted, "Stop being so silly!"

Youmu looked up at Yuyuko, who had fallen onto her back in her mirth. "Don't be so childish!" Youmu scolded, "I'm trying to apologize to you!"

Yuyuko laughed even harder, "I thought I was the master!"

"Please stop!" Youmu demanded as she stood up, fury in her eyes.

"Whatever you say, master!" Yuyuko declared, as her servant crossed her arms and pouted.

Youmu shook her head, "You're hopeless," she muttered, but Yuyuko only laughed even more.

* * *

A large palace of crystal stood in the confines of the plane that was different from Earth's. The very atmosphere of the plane was toxic to humans for extended periods. It was not a place that many liked to frequent.

Yukari stepped from a gap at the great front steps of this palace. Reaching up into the smog-filled sky, the edifice was a shining beacon of light in the otherwise dim Makai. The massive front doors opened as Yukari approached.

"Ms. Yakumo," the maid who came to greet the youkai curtsied. Yumeko looked up, "Milady is awaiting you." Yukari had not told that she would be visiting beforehand.

She was led throughout the massive palace, the journey to the location of the devil taking some fifteen minutes. She was in one of the higher spires, looking out across the land that she had created with her own power.

Yukari paused at the doorway to the balcony she stood on. "Come on," Shinki said, and Yukari walked forwards. The youkai still had her parasol with her, as useless as it was in this alien landscape, a thousand times more foreign than the Moon.

"Are you sure that letting all that happen was the right thing?" Shinki asked, jumping right into the reason Yukari came.

"Yes," Yukari said, "I am confident that Kaguya shall solve this problem effectively. Why?"

"Reasons," Shinki said. She did not explain what, which meant that there was no point in asking.

"I came here to ask you your stance on a war, if such a thing were to occur," Yukari said.

Shinki let a long sight escape her lips. "It depends on if we're attacking or not. I wouldn't lend my aid to an attack, but defense I would."

"That is all I needed to know, thank you," Yukari said. She stood there for some time more. "But really, why do you seem so concerned about the Moon?"

"I said why," Shinki replied, "I have my reasons, just like you have your reasons. I only know what's going on out there because of one person. It's not like I know why Kaguya went up there, or why you are so concerned. All I know is that she did."

"But you know more about the Moon?"

"That's an assumption," Shinki said, "And a bold one at that. I wish I could affirm that, because I don't."

"I don't even know _what _you are," Yukari said.

"Why must you know?" Yukari had reasons to give, but Shinki's stubbornness was not something she was about to test. She nodded, then turned towards the archway back inside, "I shall leave now. If that is alright with you."

"Feel free," Shinki said. The youkai walked forwards into a gap and disappeared.

Something floated out from the archway. "Soooo, maintaining wonderful relations with the youkai, as usual?"

"Quiet," Shinki said back, "I thought you were going out there again."

"Well, my daughter's alright, and your daughter's alright. There's no new incident, and there's now some kind of barrier around Eientei against ghosts, thanks to our wonderful hag friends. So we're cut off from observing that, unless you go out there, or maybe Yumeko."

"I don't want to provoke Yukari," Shinki said, "Or else I would go and do that."

"Well, sometimes we can't all get what we want, can we?" the girl asked, as she floated up from behind and rested its head on Shinki's shoulder, her green hair spilling off to the side.

* * *

The morning was quiet. Every part of the day was quiet on the Moon, at least when isolated from any cities. There were not even any birds or bugs chirping in the dim glow of the rising sun to provide a steady chorus for the beginning of the day. It was one of the things that Kaguya was more disturbed by upon her return.

It was not as if she had been haunted thousands of years before by a similar feeling of discomfort, but it was now different somehow. It was not Kaguya who walked through the silent halls of Yui's mansion in the time just before the first rays of the completely unnatural, at least for the Moon, sunrise peeked above the horizon.

Aksinya moved carefully towards Yui's quarters. She knew that she would be let in without question, but she had to be sure that no one followed her. Kaguya knew of the secret she kept, but there were was one who was about to suffer because of the secret she kept. And if his servants might find her on this journey, suspicion might rise.

She was expected. Eleonore, walking in a natural fashion down the hallway at the exact time Aksinya arrived, opened the door for her. The young maid scrambled up the stairs and headed towards where she figured Yui might be. She was correct in her assumption that the princess was on the balcony outside her room. Escorted by Serafima, Aksinya was released onto the same balcony where Kaguya and Yui had spoken earlier.

She bowed to Yui. The blonde-haired women had her back to the maid, a saucer of tea held in her left hand as her right hand idly held the cup. "Your highness," Aksinya said softly.

"Approach," Yui said. The maid walked forwards, to stand next to the older Lunarian. "What do you have?"

"Ms. Houraisan is making some progress with the bill she intends to propose. I am not part of the planning process, but from what I have been able to discover, she does not intend to throw in any possibly dangerous elements. I have observed her behavior, and I am sure you have as well, so I have chosen to not attempt to dissuade her from her course of action. Please understand me."

"I know," Yui said, "She's set on this, and we won't be able to get her off of this path. I can control her in other ways, however. Do you have anything else to say? Is she keeping something about the incident from me?"

Aksinya couldn't speak. She felt like her tongue was being pressed down. Most likely it was pressed by her own anxiety. "Aksinya?" Yui asked, head shifting around to glance at the maid, "Are you hiding things too?"

"Of course not," Aksinya said, then quickly spat out her words. "Kaguya has discovered who is responsible for the incident. Specifically, who disabled the security mechanisms. She _believes, _emphasis on that part, that Mr. Koachikoi was the one who disabled them, or sent someone to disable them."

"But she's no proof?" Yui asked. Aksinya nodded. She did her best to hide the fact that she was shaking wildly. It was quite clear to her that her words were going to hurt several people. "Still…why hasn't she told me?"

"She wants to keep him around," Aksinya said. She spoke too quickly, to the point where she almost broke down from fright. But Yui was too wrapped up in the information she was hearing to truly care about such minute details.

"Ms. Houraisan…thinks that he'll be useful, due to his money and connections. She plans to merely scare him, make sure he stays in line in the future. She thinks, seems to know, that you'll want him out. So that's why she hid the truth from you. But she really has no evidence. Only various words from some maids and pages, nothing really more than that…"

"He is still going to go," Yui declared, shaking her head in disappointment, "I really thought higher of Kaguya. Keeping such a man around, when he could hurt her, or someone else, just because he's useful? She's mad…I'll have to speak with her on this, but don't make it seem like I will…" Yui nodded, "Have you any more revelations?"

"No, your highness," Aksinya said. She needed to leave now.

"Then go," Yui said. She turned her head, and gazed over all of Aksinya's body. It was not hard to notice the shakes the girl's body was undergoing. It was not hard to notice the fear plastered on her face. Aksinya nearly passed out from the terror right there.

"Thank you," Yui said, "I know it's scary betraying someone like this, but until I know Kaguya's true nature, I can't trust her after so long on the Earth. It's no bad place, but I don't know how much she's changed due to it."

"I u-understand…" Aksinya stuttered, taking short, hasty breaths.

"Get some rest," Yui ordered, "I'll handle things from here,"

"Thank you, your highness," Aksinya bowed, before she spun around and exited the balcony.

Yui put the saucer on the table beside her. The tea was on that saucer. Her teeth were gritted together hard, but they relaxed. "Let's not be mean to her," Yui reminded herself, before she internally laughed at the idea, knowing she couldn't be mean to someone as close as Kaguya.

"I suppose I'll just have to confront her on the issue, and sincerely hope that she understands my reasoning…" Yui sighed, knowing that it was a long shot. But she had to do it.

A tear slipped from her eye as she tried to figure out how things had gotten to this point.

The point where she was forced to play a serious, deadly game against her best friend.

* * *

Kaguya sat in her office. She had been busy speaking with Salathiel about absolutely nothing. She had been awaiting the point when Yui would storm in and demand to speak about Alzazir. It turned out that Aksinya's words had been correct, as the fine-dressed woman and her two escorts almost threw down the door to Kaguya's office as they entered.

The presence of Salathiel, Verena and Aksinya had simply been to make it look like she was in the middle of something. Had to put on a good show, of course.

"Kaguya!" Yui said, arms reaching out to brush aside Salathiel. Verena gracefully stepped away, almost picking up Aksinya and carrying her along as she moved. Eleonore and Serafima stood behind the angered princess, waiting patiently as the woman directed a sizable amount of anger at the immortal across the table.

"Yes?" the once-princess, dressed in a decorated blue kimono, said. "Do you need something from me?" Her calm was unnatural, and so typical of the great Kaguya so as to annoy Yui. Yet that was exactly what it was intended to do.

"You know of Alzazir?" Yui asked, "Apparently you have evidence that he was responsible for the attempt on your life?"

"How did you know of this?" Kaguya asked, making no attempt to deny the claim.

"Don't think I don't pay attention to what you do," Yui said, sounding more like a mother scolding her child than anything.

"Oh," Kaguya said, "And who is watching me all the time? Did Salathiel sell out? Caohime? One of the maids, excluding Verena?

"Must you know?" Yui asked. Kaguya let a victorious grin come onto her face.

"I think I must," she said.

"Aksinya," Yui said. A brief glance at the maid, "I'm sorry." She looked back to Kaguya.

Kaguya nodded. She turned the revolving chair she sat in around. "Aksinya…" she said, eyes glaring at the maid. The young girl had been instructed to play the part of herself, as if she did not know that this was going to be revealed beforehand.

"Why?" she screamed, and Kaguya knew in that instant that the maid should have been an actor. "Please! Don't…she's-she's lying to you…"

Kaguya shook her head. "Verena, get her out of my sight, at least for now." The squirming and screaming girl was dragged off by the older one, and as Kaguya looked back to the princess, she frowned.

Yui was fixing Kaguya with a glare of anger. Hated, even. Yui was surprised herself, as she realized the emotions were real. "I just wanted to keep an eye on you, and…and I ordered her," the princess said, "There was no need for…for _that._"

"But there was," Kaguya said, bearing no apparent animosity towards Yui, "She made the choice to listen to your orders, and even tell you about my operations. Let me teach her a listen or two, but she's useful, so she can stay around."

Yui glared at Kaguya harder, but then nodded, "Alright…"

"But back to the main topic," Kaguya said, "Yes, I do have some evidence to say that Alzazir was the one who brought about the disabling of the security systems on that night. I've nothing solid, but I do know that much."

"And you want to keep him around?" Yui asked. Kaguya nodded, then shrugged as disbelief appeared on Yui's face. "He's dangerous. He did such a thing once, who knows what he might do in the future?! He's obviously staunchly against our goal!"

"And if I can keep him in line, then we can benefit greatly. Did you not hear what I said about unity, also? We need to stay together, or at least put on the illusion that we are sticking together. Otherwise, we look weak. And if we reveal this to the public…we don't have the evidence to win a trial against him. It's not going to work…" Kaguya was calm now, and her stern words of caution certainly made Yui think.

"We can let him go quietly," Yui said, "Say that…say that he disagreed with your presence, or some basic facet of our organization. We can say that he's only in this for himself, and then we can forget about him. Sell it like we're cleaning up the party, ensuring that we are not just focused on winning."

"We'll need to let others go, or else it doesn't look like a cleaning, it would look more like a targeted strike against someone we didn't like. That's not going to look good."

"Then what do you suggest?" Yui asked, before she interrupted Kaguya. "Maybe…Maybe we can convince some others to leave…It would be terrible, but this Alzazir has to go. I never through well of him, and I would be glad to have him go. Do you think you can get another couple senators, who are loyal to our cause, to leave the party? The reasons we say can be similar to Alzazir. Do you think you can do it?"

"If you insist…" Kaguya said, doing her best to show displeasure. It worked. It couldn't seem like she was on Yui's side. Yui had to be convinced that Alzazir had to go. Aksinya had to be revealed. These things had to be done in a natural manner, so that it seemed as if Kaguya was not knowledgeable of such things. And that goal had been accomplished quite successfully.

"Thank you," Yui said, "Do what you can, but please…don't be afraid to come to me for help in the future…I feel like you're still avoiding me." The princess and Kaguya shared eye contact for a few moments, before the former would turn around.

The dark-haired women leaned back in her chair as Yui exited the room. It was now Salathiel's turn to have a problem with something. He stormed forwards, anger in his eyes as he slammed his hands on Kaguya's desk. "You told me to get rid of Alzair, then you get Yui to do it for you!" He actually had tears in his eyes. "Do you really need me, or am I just a doll for you to play with?!"

Kaguya shot up. Her hand had wrapped itself around his neck before he could react. His throat closed up, and his eyes widened as the former princess gave him the sort of glare that might give pause to a god's actions.

"You. Are. My. Dog." Kaguya said, "Nothing more. Absolutely. Nothing. More. If you want to do something useful, then shut up and get back to your duties." She released Salathiel, and he fell down to the floor.

Kaguya was already walking around the desk, and moving towards the door. From where he sat, Salathiel saw the princess move with little to no regard that he was there. That tears came from his eyes. "I thought you cared for people," he called, "I thought better of you. But all you are is a…demon. Yui made a mistake calling you back from that…_cesspit_ below. Only a truly monstrous place could make the Princess Kaguya into such…such a thing."

Kaguya froze. Salathiel had come at her with a tone she had never heard in him before. She turned around, smiling. Nodding, she said, "Good little boy, learning to stand up to authority." She walked slowly back across the room as Salathiel stood up.

She looked him in the face. He was taller than she was, but her stare forced him to take multiple steps backwards, until he was forced against the desk. "This isn't easy for me," she said. Her voice had dropped into a low whisper, "There are people I know on this Moon and in Gensokyo. One false step means that one group, or both, dies. I have to be like this, or else…" Kaguya let her voice trail away.

"Or else what?" Salathiel asked. Kaguya stepped forwards again. Salathiel almost scrambled back over the desk as Kaguya gently hugged him.

"I'm sorry," Kaguya said, "For being so mean to you. But I…I have to throw away my friends, all sense of peace I had, everything I knew, just for the sake of saving this place."

"What?" Salathiel asked, looking down at the head of the former princess. He figured that this was a trick, to make him make some mistake. But it wasn't. Kaguya was honest in what she did.

He put his hand on her head. "I…I don't understand, ma'am,"

"I'm no senator," Kaguya said, "Not even a princess. Don't call me by that title. If anything, you should be 'sir' to me."

"There's no need," Salathiel insisted.

"I know," Kaguya took a step back. She sighed heavily, turning around and looking towards the door. "I can't promise I'm going to reform myself. I'm…I'm going to continue acting like this, most likely to you. I'm sorry that it has to be you, but I just need something to release my anger on. If you could find two senators who are both loyal to our cause, and get them to leave, please. I can promise you that no one else will be able to do it like you can. Do whatever you need to do, promise anything within reason. I shall deliver it." Kaguya walked out of the room.

Salathiel stood where he was, before he slowly slid downwards. He leaned back with confusion on his face against the unforgiving material of the desk. His breaths were deep and slow as he stared up at the ceiling. The door opened, and Chie entered.

"Sir?" she asked with concern, seeing him there.

"Get me the list of senators in the party," Salathiel called, "We have a lot of work to do. Clear out the next twelve hours. Make dinner reservations for three at the best place that is open. We have until six or seven to figure things out. I'll explain in a few minutes."

"Yes sir," Chie closed the door, already pulling out her phone.

Salathiel stood. A grin spread across his face as he walked towards the door. He realized that he really did have power.

* * *

Night had fallen over Gensokyo several hours before. For a long while now, the stars and moon had been all that brought light to the entire landscape. Those that normally dwelled during the day were off to bed now, most having fallen asleep sometime before.

A pair of feet ran quickly through the woods. A long stretch of darkness trailed out behind them, a piece of clothing. She breathed hard as she tore through the thick woods, aimed towards a destination she knew very well. She was young, but had a strange air about her.

She ran into the clearing, seeing the house ahead. She came to a stop, almost tumbling over. Sumireko Usami took a few deep breaths, steadied the hat on her head, and then approached. Raising her hand, she knocked gently on the door.

The girl was restless, rocking from one foot to the next until she heard footsteps approach the door. Her face heating up, she quickly steadied herself as the door was opened. Sumireko put on a bright face as she saw who opened the door.

"Ah, Ms. Kamishirasawa," Sumireko said politely, bowing at the same time, "Is Mo-er…Ms. Fujiwara here?"

"No need to be so polite," Keine said with a smile as the girl stood straight once again. Then she frowned, "She's at Eientei."

"Ahh…" Sumireko sounded sad, "Occupied with Ms. Houraisan, I presume?"

"No," Keine replied, "The Lunarian's back on the Moon,"

"Then why is Mokou there?" Sumireko frowned.

"She wants to go up there after her," Keine replied. The hakutaku shook her head, "She's acting rather foolish. You can go see her if you want, but I don't know what she'll be like."

Sumireko nodded. "Thank you," she said with a smile.

The girl spun on her heel and ran away from the door, treading quickly the path to Eientei.

The young girl arrived at one of the many entrances to the massive mansion. There was no one around, so she paused there for a moment. Then she entered anyways. Walking around the halls for a few minutes revealed that no one else seemed to be awake.

She kept exploring, not yet looking into any of the rooms. Then she heard footsteps behind herself. She spun about, seeing two bright red eyes staring at her from out of the dark. "And who might you be?" the harsh voice asked. There was a hint of weariness to the sound.

"Sumireko Usami," Sumireko quickly said. She steadied herself, and crossed her arms. "I'm a friend of Mokou's."

"Ah…the outsider, I think she's mentioned you a few times," the girl said, "I believe Mokou is with Ms. Yagokoro. You might be disrupting them."

"Can I at least go see her momentarily?" Sumireko asked, "I'm worried,"

"As am I," the girl said, "But you're probably more worried than anyone else save Keine." The rabbit walked past Sumireko, "Follow me,"

Sumireko followed the voice through the halls. They came to a door. Voices could be heard on the other side. "Go on in," the girlsaid. Before that, she reached out with her hand. Sumireko could barely see it in the blackness, but she took it. "Reisen Udongein Inaba,"

"Sumireko Usami," Sumireko replied, before Reisen slid the door open. Mokou was sitting watching Eirin attempt to give her a breakdown of basic Lunarian grammar.

"There is someone here to see Mokou, Sumireko Usami." Reisen said as the two paused and looked at her. Mokou frowned. Then she looked back at Eirin.

"I need to go," Mokou said quickly. Eirin sighed, and nodded.

Mokou leapt up from her seat and quickly went to the door. Reisen stepped in as Mokou stepped out.

* * *

"You're really going?!" Sumireko shouted at the immortal as the two stepped out of Eientei, Mokou having finished her explanation of the situation.

"I am," Mokou confirmed, "This is something I have to do,"

"You don't have to do anything!" Sumireko countered. She stopped in her tracks, the grass twisting beneath her feet as she turned to glare into Mokou's eyes. "I thought you hated that girl!"

"I do…" Mokou said, though the words lacked conviction.

Sumireko sighed. She looked away, biting her lip as thoughts ran through her head. Mokou watched this behavior with a concerned gaze. She knew that the girl was just fifteen years of age.

Then Sumireko looked back, her eyes glittering. "Do you not like me? Aren't we friends?"

Mokou inhaled slowly, exhaling as a hand raised up to her face. "Sumireko…please, we're friends, you know that. But I-"

"And you're going to leave Keine behind too! She has to mean something to you!" Sumireko said. She stomped her foot on the ground. "Come on! No one here takes me seriously!" Her voice quieted as she blushed and looked away. "I mean…you're the only real friend I have…"

Mokou couldn't even bear to look at the girl. Her head turned to the side, gritting her teeth as she regretted her decisions. "Please, Sumireko. This isn't me breaking our friendship. There's nothing more between us, right? We're friends."

Sumireko nodded, getting the message. "I'm over a thousand years old, you're not even sixteen." Mokou said, "Look, I get I'm the only one in Gensokyo who's really befriended you, but there are other good people here."

Mokou turned back towards Eientei. "Besides, you have a whole world outside of Gensokyo." She looked down as she walked, "I'm really sorry."

Sumireko watched her go. She stumbled back, tears filling her eyes. She brought her hands to her face as she ran off into the forest, crying like the little girl she really was.

* * *

**So Mokou's ending in ULiL apparently has Sumireko taking a liking to her, so since this story is supposed to occur a few months after that, I took the idea and ran with it. And thanks to the power levels of the Lunarians as shown, LoLK can't actually occur. It would also mess up all the set-up for the current events on the moon. However, pieces from LoLK's story will show up. **

**As for the new characters from LoLK...well, I actually like Sagume and Junko a lot, Hecatia has grown on me, and Clownpiece is her own walking meme. All of them will appear in this fic, I just need to finalize their places. **

**This came later than I would have liked because I got carried away with my other story and ended up forgetting all about this one till about midnight last night. I'm gonna try and ensure updates occur more normally on Friday/Saturday in the future. **


	15. Gathering of Allies

**I was stupid and forgot about this again what with the other fic I'm running. I'll try to avoid that in the future now that I'm actually establishing a more rigid schedule for the other one. **

* * *

The bark was uncomfortable, the hard substance and its various imperfections and bumps digging hard into her back. Yet she'd suppressed any signs of sadness, so there was that.

Her cape was curled up around her, her hat lowered over her brow. Her chest went up and down slowly, the sound of her breathing the only thing she really noticed at the moment.

The forest was strangely quiet that night, as if the world held its breath in expectation of the conclusion to the drama that even now went on above. A cold wing occasionally blew through, only causing Sumireko to curl up more.

Sumireko couldn't decide if the dominant emotion at the moment was sadness or anger. "Why does she even care about that stupid princess anyways…" Sumireko muttered, realizing that she _was _insulting somebody who was quite a legendary figure.

"Mokou is being influenced by many factors…" the quiet, soft, yet mature and wise voice to Sumireko's side pierced the quiet of the night. Yet the carefully balanced silence wasn't shattered by the words. Rather, the speaker effortlessly inserted herself into the gap that was there.

Sumireko's eyes widened. She hadn't heard anyone approach. She knew that the inhabitants of Gensokyo weren't fans of her presence, and many were capable of killing her. She looked to the side, seeing a figure tower over her. Gorgeous locks of gold descended from the figure's head, a violet tabard over a white dress.

The young girl's mind raced to remember who this was, looking over the cap upon her head and the elaborately decorated fan she held in one gloved hand.

"The gap youkai, right?" Sumireko asked carefully.

"Yes…Yukari Yakumo, if you would call me as such." The woman said. She took a few steps forwards. She turned around, then sat down. There was nothing there. A line in space appeared, and her body balanced on it, the gap lifting her up.

The fan spread out, it was positioned so that Sumireko could barely see the light grin Yukari wore. "What do you want with me?" Sumireko wondered. She'd encountered the woman only once before, when the base rules for Sumireko's 'intrusions' (as she called them) had been laid down.

"Why, I think we share a common interest, for once." Yukari said softly.

"And that would be?" Sumireko wondered.

"The issue with the Moon," the explanation came. Yukari's eyes, containing a million things that Sumireko didn't understand, stared into Sumireko's. "I believe that we can help each other."

"In what way?" Sumireko wondered.

"Well…all I want is for you to promise me that if I were to ever call upon you, then you would answer."

"Call upon me?" the psychic questioned.

Yukari's free hand tossed something into Sumireko's lap. The teenager looked down, spotting what looked like an old flip phone. She frowned. "If I were to ask you to do something for me, then you would do that something, that's what I mean. Do you agree?"

Sumireko thought for a moment. "What 'something' is this?"

"The situation is still developing…" Yukari said, "I have no idea what cards Eirin has in her hand, and it will not be long before the rest of Gensokyo starts to try to take advantage of this situation."

"You want _my _help with this?" She was both awed and scared, "What can I do?"

"No one else is watching this meeting," Yukari said, "To everyone in Gensoyko, Sumireko Usami, you are a wild card. No one will be held accountable for your actions but yourself."

"So you want a disposable minion?" Sumireko snapped.

"Clever one…" Yukari chuckled, "But yes, that's basically why I want you. Furthermore, since you've no declared allegiances, others will be more trusting of you. Just keep that phone on you at all times."

"Do I get anything in return?" Sumireko asked, _besides an early death. _

"You'll get Fujiwara no Mokou," Yukari said, "Back from the Moon, at least. I can pull enough strings there to make that much happen."

"Fine…" Sumireko muttered, "I'll do this. But don't find me taking any suicide missions. I want my friend back, and I won't risk death for that."

"So be it…" Yukari said. "Now go home, and get some sleep."

Sumireko was about to reply. Then she found herself falling downwards. Everything went black.

She woke with a start in her bed. Brushing the sweat off her forehead, she sighed. Then she felt a heavy weight in her lap.

Sumireko Usami looked there, seeing the phone. She picked it up, finding it didn't seem to be anything special.

"What did I just do?" she asked herself, finding that she didn't have the answer.

* * *

A woman and a man now sat at the same table as Salathiel. Both he knew. One was by the name of Hiyliuh. That was the man. The woman was named Keceptiria. Both were senators and part of the negotiators. The restaurant they now sat in was not in the higher end of the higher end, but it was in the higher end of restaurants.

Not the best place for a meeting between senators, but Salathiel did what he could with what he had. The two senators across from him both had wine, but Salathiel was not drinking. Just to ensure that he was not intoxicated, he had taken some pills to nullify any alcohol that might get inside him. And despite that, he didn't drink, just to be sure.

He was fine with water. The meal had arrived, and so Salathiel moved on from minor topics to the meat of the conversation. He was actually hungry, having not eaten all day, and did not want to awkwardly sit with the two senators after he had delivered his reason for bringing them here.

"So," he said, "You both know Alzazir Koachikoi, correct?"

They nodded. "Well," Salathiel said, "He is not actually loyal to the cause of the negotiators. I've done my research on you two, however. Both of you are incredibly loyal. So that is why I want both of you to listen to me carefully."

"You want him gone, I presume?" Hiyliuh asked.

Salathiel nodded, "However, we've no legitimate reason, and we need to ensure that the party has at least an illusion of unity. So we can't let one go…" He paused to let someone finish him.

"Without letting someone else go," Keceptiria finished, "Or else it looks less like some cleaning of the party, and more like a targeted event."

"Exactly," Salathiel said.

"So you need to kick us out?" Hiyliuh asked, "Because we are loyal, and you think that we won't be angry if you do so for the good of the cause?"

"Yes, have you an issue?"

"There are no others?" Keceptiria asked, a bit stunned, even angered. "We're the only ones? There are no others with shaky allegiances?"

"They will be removed in due time. But if we target only those ones, then throw in a couple others, then well…things still look bad. So we're going to start with the most powerful first." Salathiel explained. He thanked his ability to keep his calm, for he was lying through his teeth.

In truth, the plan was to eliminate all of those with significant amounts of power. Both Hiyliuh and Keceptiria possessed fair amounts of influence in the Negotiators, and Kaguya wanted them both gone.

The two senators glanced at one another, and their distrust was clear. Salathiel managed to maintain a calm face, preventing his body from idly shaking, which would only give away his concealment of the truth.

"Is that acceptable?" Salathiel asked, hoping to stimulate a response and end the waiting before his body betrayed him.

A minute or two more passed, but then both people nodded. "With some compensation for the humiliation," Keceptiria said, grinning as she realized the high ground was hers, "There won't be any issue whatsoever."

"We discuss that momentarily," Salathiel said, "What you will do is be ejected, and tossed into the group of neutrals. But once there, you can make connections that you couldn't make in the party itself. You can effectively serve as our eyes and ears out there, because we can't do much with the entire Moon watching us. The neutrals…well, no one pays attention to them."

"We understand that," Hiyliuh said, "But I think what we're saying is that even being kicked out there won't _look _good. We'll have to work our reputation back up before we're trusted again."

"I have been authorized to offer anything within reason to either of you," Salathiel said, then waited for responses.

A few minutes passed, the two thinking about what 'within reason' might mean. Salathiel tensed up, worried that negotiations would turn ugly. _If they do now, and things slow down, then the plan is as good as ruined. _

"You've heard about how that experimental AI series is being tested?" Hiyliuh asked, "I'd like one of those. They're not exactly full artificial intelligences, but they're more than just computers. If you can't, then there are alternatives, but this is the easiest way to get me to do this for you."

"That…can be done," Salathiel said, running through the list of contacts in his head, before he looked at Keceptiria.

"I'm not sure," she said, thinking about the subject for a few moments. "Well, there's currently some dispute going on over ownership of some land in the Jovian and Saturnine colonies. Find something for me there, and I'll agree right away."

"That…" Salathiel sighed, "Can be done, I suppose. I can get someone on it." That should have been easier, given who his mother was. Far easier than the first request, as a matter of fact. Yet he knew that the second would be a challenge of more than just his ability to call in favors.

"Then I think we are settled?" Hiyliuh said. Keceptiria nodded. Salathiel looked down at the table. He already knew who he would ask for Keceptiria's request. Chie had some connections in the rabbit business, so that wouldn't be too hard, even if a new model had to be smuggled out.

Salathiel eventually said, lowly, "I believe we are." He went back to his meal, eating slowly, and wondering if one person he had to request something from was going to deny him or not. Given who she was, there was a good chance that it would be the latter.

* * *

Chie knocked on the door of the sizable mansion. Located at the side of a lake, it was located close to a city. The place was on the horizon, but far enough so that nothing which occurred in it would really disturb the mansion. The mansion was larger than Nariari's, but that was to be expected.

The door was opened by a Lunar Rabbit. She bowed to Salathiel, and called for someone else. A tall woman walked up a set of stairs from right beside the door. The long crimson ponytail stretching down to her waist was something Salathiel recognized.

He nodded to the girl in the elaborate maid outfit. "Liclesia," he said.

"Salathiel," she replied happily, "How nice to see you here!" she glanced to the side, "And your rabbit too! Hello Chie!"

"Greetings," Chie said.

"You two doing well?" she asked.

"As well as one can be…" Salathiel said. Dark circles were under his eyes, and he was quite afraid that he was going to fall over during this vital meeting.

"True," Liclesia said. She waved for him to enter. "Come, she's waiting for you."

Salathiel walked in first, followed by Chie. His shoes were removed at the door, as well as Chie's. They followed the maid forwards a bit, then around a corner and up some stairs. Another staircase led to the third floor.

She brought them down a short hallway before he exited out onto a balcony. It was large, stretching around the entire third floor, and even tiered so that it was connected to the fourth and fifth floors of the mansion. It was grand. Not quite was great as the Kagome Mansion, but still something to behold.

He walked out onto the balcony, and saw a person who he had not seen in a long time. He waited as Liclesia walked around to face the person sitting in front of a table. The table was large and long, with miniatures scattered about the surface.

"Ma'am," she said, "Salathiel is here,"

She looked up. The woman with a large mane of brown hair, tied back into one large tail behind her head, fixed Salathiel with a smile that mixed contempt with happiness. "Approach," she said.

Salathiel walked forwards as Liclesia backed away. Chie did not follow him. The door to the balcony was closed behind them. No one wanted to be part of the exchange that would follow Salathiel's deep bow. He said quietly, still bowing, "Greetings, mother,"

He looked up, eyes examining the table she stood at one of the wider ends of. It was covered with various models, of soldiers and terrain. It was some board game that she loved to play. Hundreds of pieces lined the table that must have been some twelve by sixteen feet.

"How are you today?" she asked.

"Quite alright, thank you," he said.

"Having fun with…Kaguya…?" The name seemed hard to say.

"You don't like her?" Salathiel presumed.

"She was never my friend, sometimes my enemy. But I respect her more than most people in the world. How was her time on the Earth?"

"Not too bad, according to her…" Salathiel shrugged.

"Enjoy it?"

"To an extent…" Salathiel didn't know his mother's exact views. She had never really made them clear.

"She never liked me because I was always trying to get in her way. Then again, she never really liked anyone because they were all trying to get in her way in one way or another." The woman shrugged. "But I suppose that doesn't matter now, I've no intention of hindering her now."

"You support her?" Salathiel wondered.

"Not at all." The woman said, "I want to see her fail, if only for the fact that she'll get too much power if she succeeds. With all the attention she's attracting, she's easily going to become stronger than she ever was before."

"I see…" the younger man, who was acting like a little boy in front of this woman, spoke softly. As if he was treading on thin ice.

"So your views don't exactly line up with hers?"

"I can respect the Earth, but I'd prefer they stay out of our affairs. I suppose some conversations with my daughter have definitely changed my mind a little bit on that point, given how she is such a big fan of such things."

_So it's the other way around, _Salathiel thought. "Doesn't change my view of you, however, my dear little bitch of a son."

Salathiel closed his eyes, remembering the sincere 'love' his mother had for him. "Love you too, mother…" the words slipped out under a breath. Although he didn't visibly react, he dearly hoped that they did not make their way to his mother's ear.

"What was that?" the woman asked. Her tone was sharp, cutting into Salathiel's calm.

"What do you mean?" Salathiel asked, his voice tense, but not really disguising his guilt.

"I'd like to hear what you just said," his mother explained, looking up at him, eyes meeting his own. The grin on her face was somehow disconcerting.

"It was nothing important, mother," Salathiel said, "I came here for more important reasons than just a few whispered words. Please, if we could move on." His mother let him say everything. Then she nodded.

"So what did you say?" the look on her face made it quite obvious that an answer of no would not be accepted. "If it was not important, then certainly it can be said to your dear mother."

"I said, love you too, mother," Salathiel looked aside, knowing that she would not be happy.

"Look at me," the words came softly, and Salathiel wondered briefly if he was going to be let off. The look of hatred on his mother's face told him that the brief hope was quite false.

"You feel the need to say that to your mother?" she asked, walking slowly around the table. Her steps echoed on the stone floor of the balcony, her heels clacking on the hard surface as her magenta dress moved with her. Salathiel froze in place, not daring to move a single step.

His mother put a hand on his shoulder as she stood next to him. They faced opposite directions, but Salathiel tensed as the taller woman gripped tightly on him. "What do we say?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, mother," Salathiel said, switching to the most respectful sub-dialect he knew. It was rather archaic, falling out of use roughly thirteen or fourteen hundred years ago due to its roots in other dialects that weren't used. At some point, his mother had taught it to only him, to address her with.

Her grip tightened. Salathiel saw the edge of the table. It was rather menacing at the moment. "Please, forgive my insolence, mother," he said. It was his will to say this. It was something he had to say. "I submit myself to your judgment."

He shut his eyes tightly "I shall forgive you, since we haven't spoken in a while. But let's make sure that the mistake doesn't occur again."

She walked back to the side of the table she had originally been on. Salathiel let out a sigh of relief, which only earned him a glare from his mother. "Sorry," he quickly said with a bow of his head. She was satisfied, and went back to looking at all the models arrayed in front of her.

Salathiel waited for permission to speak. She hadn't given it, and knew that he would only suffer if he spoke now. He had done this in the past, so it was not like it was new to him.

He watched his mother stand there idly, her eyes moving back and forth. His body shook with fright. A bit of worry was in his head, questioning if this was the right person to go to, but he knew inside that if this worked, it would be the best way to get what he needed.

"Go on," his mother finally said.

"Yes mother," Salathiel said, before he took a deep breath, and started to speak. "I apologize for the assertion, but I assume that you have seen the speech Ms. Houraisan made?"

"Of course," his mother said, before she caught him with a harsh glare, "Don't assume I'm stupid enough to have not seen it."

"I apologize," Salathiel bowed his head, "Well, I am then certain that you have figured out that she has taken a liking to me. She has named me her chief of staff, and has given me a task."

"And what is this task?" his mother seemed confused, "Wait…why would you be given anything to do?"

"Ms. Houraisan has deemed me worthy of accomplishing tasks she assigns me to complete. It is an honor to serve such a great figure," Salathiel said.

His mother laughed, shaking her head. "You're a senator. She's an exile. You have power over her. Why do you listen to her?"

"She is more intelligent than I am, and has a better grasp on what needs to be done. Therefore, it would be silly if we all pulled rank, as she was brought here to solve our problems, not to be dominated by two dozen senators."

"Good, good," his mother commended his explanation.

"Mother," Salathiel said, "I am afraid that I must ask one thing. Can you keep a secret from everyone around you?"

"I've managed to hide my utter contempt for you from most people, so yes, I think I can." The reply stung Salathiel, but he nodded, understanding the message conveyed in the reply.

"Well then, mother," Salathiel continued, "Ms. Houraisan intends to change the party around. She wishes to get rid of those who would wish to hinder her operations. There is only one person who must go right now, but we cannot make his departure unnatural. So we must also get rid of two others, both loyal to the cause, so that it looks like a restructuring, and not a targeted elimination. Both of those loyalists who we are kicking out are asking for compensation for their service."

"Who is the one you really want out?"

"Alzazir Koachikoi," Salathiel said.

"He's a merchant, a businessman. I'm not sure how earth-loving he is, but he's a big help for them. He has lots of money, plenty of good connections. Not sure why Kaguya would want him out."

"Well," Salathiel said, "There are reasons…and the money issue, I did also come to talk to you about that, to ask you-"

"Your sister already gave me a call this morning," his mother said, "And I've already agreed to financially contribute. The cause seems to be going well, and while I don't like Kaguya, I'd rather not get on her bad side, so I might as well place my bets at this point."

"I've asked you multiple times to do the same thing," Salathiel said, confusion on his face. He felt empty as his mother looked at him with scorn. "Why did you not do it for me?"

"Because…" his mother said. He looked unsatisfied, and she realized he wanted more of a reason. "Because you're you."

"I see," Salathiel nodded. Anything else would have somehow made her angry. "I shall go back to the previous topic. If you remember the incident from a few nights ago, when the drone attacked Ms. Houraisan in her room."

"I do," the woman replied.

"Then we have proof that Mr. Koachikoi was the one responsible for the attack."

"What reason does he have?" his mother surprised Salathiel with the question. "He may not like Kaguya personally, but he has enemies elsewhere. He wouldn't want to risk this happening to him. I doubt that he truly did this. Which means that this is a single person who Kaguya doesn't like being singled out."

"It's not like that," Salathiel insisted, "He's a threat to the party from within. We need him out."

"However, he also has beliefs against the Earth, correct?" his mother asked, a smile on her face. "Kaguya doesn't like that, does she? She wants anyone who doesn't like the Earth out of the party, correct?"

"I think that is an assumption that you are jumping to," Salathiel said, "We only want him out because he made an attempt on Kaguya's life. In fact, we are letting him off lightly. We don't want to make a scene. So all we want to do is quietly force him away."

"Really?" his mother questioned. She started moving. As she walked around the table, a smile was on her face. "Because I think you're lying to me…" Salathiel tensed up.

He hung his head, eyes looking down at the floor of the balcony. The older woman came up behind him. "Do you remember what I've said about lying to me, Salathiel? Haven't you learned from past lessons?"

The man gritted his teeth. Forcing the words out, he admitted. "Yes, mother."

His mother walked away. "Good boy…" she said. Salathiel brightened as he heard the two words, a smile coming across his face as he was relieved of the pressure on him. "Go on," she intoned, "The truth this time."

"Mr. Koachikoi does not share Ms. Houraisan's beliefs, so she wants him out. We shall accuse him of disabling the defenses. We have planted evidence. But we need the other two out as well. To this end, I need something from you."

"What?"

"You are involved with the Saturnine and Jovian colonies correct?" Salathiel asked, "Having a strong stake in a shipbuilding company with strong ties in other parts of the operations there."

"What I need is for you to obtain some piece of property on one of those colonies. One of the senators wants it, and it would be best if we appease them easily. There is no need to fight them on this issue, as they are doing us a great service."

His mother nodded. "Perhaps I shall do this. But maybe you should ask nicely first."

Salathiel sighed. Things happened this way every time he asked for something from the woman that had given birth to him.

The woman that he had betrayed.

* * *

"Can we get it out in the next week?" Kaguya asked as she strolled into the room that was Caohime's office. It was the first time she had seen the women in roughly a day, and these were the first words towards the senator as she walked into the room.

"Theoretically yes," Caohime replied, "However, we're running over some of the finer details." Yukiko sat across from her, as did Nalini.

"I just need an estimate on the time," Kaguya said, walking right up behind her two maids, "So I can let Yui know."

"Yes," Caohime said, "I can promise that it will be done in the next five days. However, what you're suggesting isn't going to be easy to go after. You certain that this will help."

"Not at all," Kaguya said, "It may end up hurting us. But we need to start thinking about risk and reward. It won't shame us to lose this entirely, it will only damage my reputation slightly. Besides, if I get what I want, we are going to lose this."

Caohime remembered Kaguya's plan. "So how do you want to sell this?"

"To the house first," Kaguya said, "Then we move up the chain to the senate. Remember, our plan is to humiliate them. We go straight for the throat and we end up looking stupid. We need to make them run away when we aren't attacking."

"I assume you'll be giving the speech?" Caohime asked.

"Yes," the former-princess confirmed, seeming almost annoyed that the question was even being asked for the sake of clarification.

"I've written it in the most complex way possible given common speech at the current time. A dumbed down version is available for common use and another for the house, but the most complex is of course aimed at the senate." Nalini explained, "I've also worded it as properly as possible."

"Good," Kaguya said. She took a deep breath, "So what do we have to repeal the requirement with?"

"Well," Caohime explained, "It turns out that in the Permanency section of the Articles of Purity, specifically the military subcategory, there was something stating that mandatory service of any kind could never be required by the military. However, this was repealed shortly after you left, with even the wide populace agreeing, as it was believed that a full defense of the Moon might be needed."

"And now that they're initiating it, people aren't happy?" Kaguya asked.

"Not happy at all," Yukiko said, "But the real issue stems from the fact that the current law requires mandatory service from every first child. The statute in the Articles of Purity was not entirely repealed. It was more like they added an exception to it. The exception was that a _draft _could be initiated. But this is going beyond a standard draft."

"Then why is there any issue?" Kaguya asked, "This seems easy to beat…"

"Because they have ways to fight it. The fact is that since the After Landing calendar began, the military has both denied and initiated a state of emergency, technically giving the Supreme Commander full control. If they can prove that they have been in a state of emergency for the past seventy or so years, then they can prove that they were legally in the right to do this. However, that's not going to be possible, at least most likely it's not."

"Good," Kaguya said, "Just make sure that there's no holes that they can poke in it. The departure of Alzazir is nigh, and Salathiel has managed to appease the others we have to get rid of. As long as we can defeat any commotion from that, we are well on our way to winning our first major victory."

"Understood," Caohime then asked, "What do we do after that?"

"It depends on how well we do. If we get what I want from this, then we move forwards towards our goal of gaining total control over the Negotiators. If not, then we need some more ground to stand on before we make Yui back down."

"I'm still not sure that's the best course of action," Caohime said carefully.

"She needs this," Kaguya insisted. That was all she said as she turned around and walked towards the door.

Caohime had done her research on the princess. A few sources had mentioned the girl as being somewhat prideful. Sometimes displaying a quality that one might even call hubris. Something that any Lunarian should know very well.

* * *

"Why?!" Keine screamed at the top of her lungs. Mokou's eyes were closed. Not because she was flinching or protecting herself. Or maybe it was, as she did protect herself from something. From the pain and confusion on the hakutaku's face.

"Why go up there?!" Keine screamed, "Don't you hate Kaguya?! Don't you care for me at all?!" Mokou had been about to step out of the door of her home, hoping that she could leave silently. That had been an hour ago. She had hesitated, making it seem like she was thinking. But she was just faking, making up excuses as to why she had to wait till Keine was awake.

"I care about you," Mokou said, but she felt like her words were lost on both herself and Keine. She had tears in her eyes. "I wish I didn't have to do this-"

"You don't have to do anything!" Keine screamed, "Let Kaguya go die! Let her go suffer! Don't you want her to suffer! You're perfectly safe here!" Tears poured from the girl's eyes as she fell to her knees, begging incoherently.

Mokou walked towards her. "Keine, please," she said, getting to one knee. The immortal was dressed in the fine suit that had been crafted for her. "I will return. I promise. I can't let Kaguya go…because you even through you're a youkai, and we're in Gensokyo…eventually you'll die too. I need another immortal, even if it's one I hate…"

"Fine!" Keine screamed, pushing Mokou away with a surge of strength. Mokou got to her feet as she backed away. The white-haired woman looked up at Mokou, "Go and marry Kaguya if you love her so much! Go become the damned queen of the Moon for all I care! Just get out!"

_It would be foolish to stay. _Mokou turned around. Silently, she shut the door as she walked out. Tears would continue to roll down her cheeks as she made her way through the forest.

"I swear," she whispered to herself, "I swear I'll come back to you."

That was a promise she would never fail to keep.

* * *

Reisen slowly made her way through Eientei. She could walk just fine, but she was still in some amount of discomfort. Eirin was beside her, ready to catch her if she fell. Mokou was walking behind them, still embarrassed after days of wearing that suit.

"You don't have to go with her," Eirin reminded the rabbit. She paid almost no attention to Mokou. The immortal had been warned enough times about her decision. Now it was time for her to actually show some courage and go along with this.

"I need to," Reisen insisted, "The princess…might need me up there. I can't leave her alone."

"There's bravery and courage, and then there's pure foolishness," Eirin said, her tone low as she looked at the girl. The three were about to exit the mansion, with Reisen planning to lead them to the location where she had stored the ship that she came down in. "Think about which one you are displaying at the moment,"

Reisen gritted her teeth. A hint of hesitation was on her face, then it was gone as she shook it away. "I have to do this," she insisted.

Eirin sighed. She launched an accusatory glance at the immortal behind herself. Mokou only blushed harder as she realized that she had been the one to instill this whole desire in Reisen by asking to be brought up to the Moon.

Eirin looked away after barely a second, but the effect on Mokou was profound. "Reisen," the immortal said softly, "You really shouldn't do this in your current condition. It…it really wouldn't be good for you at all."

"Quiet," Anger filled the single word, enough to shut the stubborn immortal up for the next minute.

"Don't take your pain out on others," Eirin said, "She cares about you, and she cares enough for Kaguya to commit this act of stupidity. Don't follow in her footsteps."

Mokou opened her mouth to complain, then saw the truth. Not a single word came from her as she looked down. Reisen replied, less venom than her voice than there was with Mokou, "I care more for the princess that Mokou does…" She was lacking…something.

"What's wrong?" Eirin asked, telling that Reisen was holding something back.

"I…I'm afraid," Reisen admitted. They were moving through the forest now. Reisen was in her normal clothes, but she had always treated the attire as not entirely normal.

A small pouch was under Eirin's arm. She handed the pouch to Reisen. The rabbit took it, looking inside. "Those should help with your depression for a full day. And once you get to the Moon, you'll have the same level of care, theoretically. You should be able to make it to Yui's easily. She'll take you in, I know she will."

"Can you be certain of that?" Reisen asked, not wanting to leave any variables up to chance. The small group was approaching a clearing in the forest. It was incredibly small, and bore nothing of any importance.

Yet Reisen and Eirin stopped in the middle. Mokou simply frowned. She had been in this same spot many times. Reisen walked to the middle of the clearing, and got to one knee. She reached for the ground, and grabbed onto something. Pulling what looked like a thin colored string pulled up a fake covering. It was thick and secure enough so that it could not be pushed down by anyone walking over it.

As Mokou walked closer, she saw that what Reisen had pulled was a long strand of grass. Her face narrowed in confusion as she saw this. "H-how?" she asked, dumbstruck.

"Almost like a spider web," Eirin explained, "Very strong, but very thin and light. Really it's better than a spider web, and there are different types of the string to blend in with all backgrounds. Thank Black Ops." Mokou didn't understand, but she nodded.

Beneath the covering was a hole. It was about ten feet deep. Reisen stood. She looked at Eirin. "This is goodbye," she said. Eirin stepped forwards, embracing the rabbit tightly.

"Please be safe," Eirin begged, "Don't die up there. Don't even think about staying. If you have to, leave."

Reisen nodded. "Goodbye," she whispered.

Eirin said the same. The rabbit leapt into the hole. Eirin looked at Mokou. "Good luck," Eirin whispered. She paused for a moment, then continued. "I know why you're really going up there. But bring her back in one piece, alright?"

Mokou nodded as her face became even redder. Both with embarrassment and shame. "Thank you for all of this," she said. She leapt down into the hole below after that.

Eirin closed the entrance up. She looked around to ensure no one was observing her. Slow steps carried her away.

* * *

Reisen led the way through the tunnel. It wasn't lit, but the walls were narrow enough so that there was no way to lose track. There was only one passageway forwards, and Mokou stumbled blindly down it for what she estimated to be five to ten minutes.

They stopped at a wall. It was just a wall. There was nothing else. Mokou frowned again as Reisen paused without doing anything, but then the rabbit pressed her hands to the wall. A light glowed. Reisen stepped forwards, pressing her eyes to the wall. Then she touched her neck to the wall.

A minute later, the wall opened, revealing the interior of something. "Fingerprint, retinal, and blood scans." Reisen explained, "All necessary to open a Black Ops craft like this. They can be disabled by someone inside, but a registered personnel has to be inside in order for the procedure to be deactivated. I did go ahead earlier today and hack the system so you could follow me in as well."

Mokou followed as Reisen got in. The interior was actually eight feet tall, easily large enough for both. The current compartment seemed to be one for the transport of individuals. Five seats sat across from five other seats. The two had come in by one of the side doors. To the left of Mokou was one row of seats, which gave way to a wall. To the right of Mokou was a clear space.

It was a large clear space, like something else should be there, but there was nothing. After that space, there was then a large door, which seemed to be the main way of exiting the craft. Reisen gestured for Mokou to follow her.

After the transport compartment was what seemed like a hospital room. There were four small beds in a row, and sealed cabinets full of presumably medical supplies. After that room was a storage room, and after that was the cockpit. Reisen put the pouch Eirin gave her down in the cockpit, and then walked into the storage room.

There was a lot stored inside, and Reisen went to one uniquely marked crate. It was long and slender, and she handed it to Mokou. Once the immortal opened it, it revealed a slender lack suit. It seemed tight.

"This is a more basic stealth suit. It should be resistant to most types of detection you might end up running into up there."

"Will it fit me?"

"It was designed to adapt to any gender, and most body types. You'll be fine," Reisen promised.

Mokou nodded. She looked around, "Need I take my suit off?"

Reisen shook her head as she kept rooting through the supplies. Mokou walked into the main compartment, shutting the door. Standing near the end, the immortal looked at what she held in her a deep breath, she felt another wave of tears come to her eyes. _I can do this, _she promised herself.

The bodysuit came in multiple parts. It was all black, and made of a material Mokou did not recognize. The material was soft and flexible, but when any great force was applied it tightened up incredibly. There were two leg parts, and Mokou slipped into each of those. She felt the strange material flow around her body shape, like it was alive.

She then slid on the torso covering, which only covered her neck and torso, not her arms or legs. That stamped down onto her. Then the arms, and finally the head. Mokou had slid much of her hair down onto her back, and it was now held by the torso piece. The head covered the rest. Then the various pieces connected with one another, tightening in a way that was at first uncomfortable, but became more bearable.

There was more to the suit, however. The head piece provided holes for the eyes, nose, and mouth. A helmet then fit over all that. An armored chest piece fit over the torso, and then there were pieces for the legs and arms. The armor was not thick, only a half an inch at the most. The pieces linked together, and although Mokou's mouth was cut off from the air around her, she could breath.

There was no oxygen tank, so she assumed that it was magic that was responsible. Taking a deep breath, Mokou looked around herself. She held up her arms and looked down at her legs. It was strange, feeling this.

Mokou walked back towards the front of the craft, finding the rabbit in the cockpit. Reisen was dressed in a black armored suit of her own, but it looked very different from Mokou's. It was bulkier, and had more attachments. Mokou's was devoid of any specialties, while Reisen had everything a solider might need.

It was comical how her ears stuck up through her helmet, still covered by the suit, but Mokou suppressed her laughter at this. "You ready to go?" Reisen gestured to the pilot seat. There was a single seat behind it.

Mokou nodded.

The rabbit got into the pilot seat, and started up the craft. "The border will be open as soon as Yukari senses us nearing it, so let's hope she isn't asleep." Mokou got in the chair behind Reisen. The long and powerful ship shook as the engines started. "Fuel is good, engines ready. You ever gone faster than sound before?"

"Of course not," Mokou said shakily.

"Then prepare to break the atmosphere of the planet Earth…anti-grav on." Reisen said. There was rumbling as the craft sought to break through the surface. Then there was light.

The ground disappeared in second, but from Mokou could see, they emerged from the side of a hill. The ship ascended straight upwards, magic thrusters almost nullifying the Earth's pull, to the extent where small maneuver jets could push the ship anywhere.

The craft angled upwards in order to fire the main thrusters and break the atmosphere. The barrier of air over the earth was shattered easily by the quick acceleration of the craft. Mokou was thrown violently back against her seat as she fought back the urge to vomit.

She gripped onto the edges of her seat as she felt gravity disappear beneath her. Reisen smoothly turned the shuttle craft towards the Moon and increased the engines to maximum output. "Cloaking is already on," Reisen said, "Before we even left the ground it was on. Humans couldn't see us if they were five feet away."

As the shuttlecraft shot away from the planet, Mokou tried to remain calm. But she couldn't handle the fact that she was about to go the Moon. To help her hated rival.

She started taking deep, slow breaths. "That suit you have was designed to block any kind of sensory, mechanical, or magical observation. The only thing it can't stop is the Bonsai trees, but your purity will handle that easily. I'm going to drop you off over the space where the Kagome Mansion is. You'll jump out from space. You'll have a pack to control your descent, but that should not be necessary. I'll give you a personal shield that will handle atmosphere reentry, and then you can slow your descent with the jet pack you'll have. Your magic will work for that as well. I will make my own way down, and try to make contact with the princess as soon as possible. Don't attack anyone there. Even if you land far off target. Please, don't attack a single person."

Mokou nodded, "So…you sure they won't be able to see me?"

"Certain," Reisen said. "As someone who took the Hourai Elixir, you shall appear as a perfectly pure being to them. It'll help your appearance to them in public as well."

Mokou said nothing in reply to that, going silent for a while. She sat in this silence while Reisen leaned back in her chair with the autopilot on. Mokou considered things, then wondered if the rabbit would be the right person to talk to.

"You sure about going to the Moon?" the immortal asked, "I don't-"

"You don't really care about me," Reisen wasn't angry. She was just stating facts.

"But I do care," Mokou insisted, "I don't like seeing people in pain. Not people who won't just get back up from death."

"So hurting Kaguya is fine because you can do it as much as you want?" Reisen asked.

"That's not what I meant…"

"It's what you said." Mokou didn't want to get from her seat, but she didn't want to be in the same room as Reisen either.

"I'm sorry," Mokou whispered, "Sorry for causing you this trouble." She did her best to sound sincere. But maybe it was her past deeds that robbed all trustworthiness from her.

"You can say that, but what will you say to Kaguya when you get there?" Reisen was harsh. Perhaps needlessly so, but it was clear that she was tough when she wanted to be, given that Mokou was backing down from her.

"I'll tell her…I don't know what I'll tell her," Mokou realized, her heart plummeting in the space of a second. "What…What do I do?"

"You're on the way there, so figure it out," Reisen said. She unstrapped herself, and floated up into the air. A kick off the back of the chair sent her towards the exit. Mokou hesitated, but then unstrapped herself.

She first floated off into the air, unsure on how she was supposed to move about. She finally managed to kick off the ceiling, and then grab onto her chair. She noticed that the helmet had an extensive HUD, something she had only seen in those video games Kaguya played, but even more extensive.

She noticed that a single indicator seemed to denote whether or not some magnetic thing was on. She figured that the commands were voice activated. But as soon as she thought about saying something, she was locked onto the floor.

_It can read thoughts like that?! _Mokou screamed internally. But she managed to shakily walk into the next room.

"No, only basic neural impulses. More complex functions have to be activated by saying something. But I imagine that since you were thinking of speaking, then it probably worked," Reisen was in the supply room, floating in the air. She seemed to anticipate Mokou's question, given that the girl was anchored to the ground.

"I wanted to say that I really am sorry," Mokou said, "To Kaguya, I mean. Let her know that…that in a twisted way, I do care for her. And if I can help her in any way, even if it's just as mental support, then I want to be there. Because I know that since I need her, she might just need me there to stay sane."

Reisen floated back to the passage that ran between the two doors. She turned on the magnetic boots. She looked at Mokou. "Good," the rabbit approved, "I think she might just like that."

"What are you going to do?" Mokou asked.

"I'm going to try and find a time to touch down. I don't have that suit, so I need to be smarter. I've been taught how to get past the Moon's security grid, so it shouldn't be too hard to pull off." Reisen explained, "But depending on the timing of things, I might not be there for a few days."

"Will you be alright?" Mokou asked, "Should I tell them to help you?"

"Not a chance," Reisen said, "Kaguya will parade you as an example of what a good human is like, despite the fact that you're not really a human. But I defected. If I'm found to be on the Moon, or if Kagome is found helping me, then there will be serious problems. Therefore, I suggest that you stay silent about my arrival. Say that I was heading back to the Earth."

"Alright," Mokou said.

Reisen walked back towards the cockpit. "Take a seat in the rear compartment. We have a few hours left. Try to rest or something. I'll let you know when it's time. Just be prepared for what's going to happen."

Mokou went to sit down as ordered. She leaned back against the rather uncomfortable chair, and closed her eyes. Her body was not going to go to sleep now, not with her heart threatening to escape from her chest like it currently was, but she could at least get some mental rest.

That was a vain hope, as her thoughts wandered to darker places. All the bad endings to her current mission flashed before her eyes, and she started to get more and more anxious by the second. She would have let her tears flow free if she hadn't been afraid of what might happen to the suit she wore.

Mokou didn't really understand why she was doing this. But Eirin seemed to.

And that fact scared Mokou more than many other things.

* * *

A pair of soft clacks announced the arrival of the woman. Her long blonde hair cascading from her shoulders, she stared the one who expected her in the eyes. "Good to see you again…" Yukari commented, the gap soundlessly shutting behind her.

The space they were in was dark, and the smell of sulfur and fire about the place. There was an unusual level of heat, something that did discomfort Yukari. "You as well…" The red-haired woman replied.

"Anything new?" she asked, idly staring at a bright green and blue orb that floated around her.

"Yes…" Yukari said, speaking softly, maintaining the subdued tone throughout all she said, "You've been keeping track of the situation, I presume?"

"We've not a clear picture, but something happened with Kaguya, right?"

"She went back, and now the other immortal and the rabbit follow her. From what I hear, she's doing very well for herself already." Yukari explained, "It's quite annoying."

"What should I do about it?"

"Nothing yet."

"Why not?" the woman sounded rather annoyed, her eyes meeting Yukari's. The glare of disapproval she shot out carried the experience of thousands of years behind it.

"Because I'm reconsidering. Eirin knows more than I do about the Moon, so unless you're hiding something from me, she knows more than all of us. There's a second game going on, I can tell with the way she acts around me. Tell Junko that the plan is to be indefinitely postponed."

"You've turned around quick…" the Goddess of Hell frowned, "Any particular reason? Feeling something for the old doctor?"

"If you actually knew something about her and me, you'd know that there's nothing but animosity between us. Nevertheless, you and Junko may still be of use." Yukari said, her low tone concealing her annoyance "Tell her that as well, try to keep her satisfied."

"She's not going to like it…" Hecatia warned.

"Then she doesn't have to like it. If you want to start a war against Gensokyo, out of this, then be my guest. Do indeed waste your time and resources trying to get back at me for no longer being entirely willing to help you two and your ridiculous grudge." Yukari spun on her heel.

"Fine…" the voice behind the youkai sighed, "But don't expect us to hold back forever."

"Don't worry, I don't expect you to." Yukari said. She disappeared through a gap a moment later.


	16. As One Game Stagnates, Another Begins

Mokou trembled as she stood near the back of the shuttle craft. Her feet were still glued to the floor, but she knew that in less than a minute, she would be entering the vacuum of space.

"I've managed to slip in amidst the docks," Reisen called from the cockpit, where she carefully guided the craft. "You shouldn't be seen. The door will be opened soon. Do not jump until I say so. If you jump before I say the word 'go', then there will be a serious problem."

Mokou was silent, only nodding in reply. "Do you understand?" Reisen demanded.

"I understand!" Mokou cried back, the fact that they were communicating via radio lost to the immortal.

"Good," Reisen said. The door began to come open. Air rushed out of the compartment, and Mokou nearly fell over in shock. She couldn't feel anything change given what she was in, but she could see things happen. An indicator flashed on her HUD telling her that there was no longer air around her.

She looked around the space above the Moon. She saw something amazing. It was like a scene from a science fiction movie. Dozens of spacecraft floated around much larger vessels and stations, all sitting in silence above the moon below.

The space was bustling with activity. Bright engine flares lit up the darkness, reflecting off the gleaming hulls of ships ranging from smaller than the ship Mokou now stood in to ones that could have dwarfed the tallest buildings on Earth.

She was so entranced by the spectacle she observed that she almost forgot about Reisen. "Jump!" Luckily for all involved, Mokou heard the word the first time it was said. She leapt forwards.

She instantly felt herself start going downwards. Reisen had maneuvered very close to the atmosphere, barely above the point where it would start to generate any friction. Mokou heard a crackle as the radio link to Reisen died. But the rabbit ha said that she would terminate the connection as soon as Mokou left, so it did not surprise her.

The personal shield equipped to the armor was already active, but Mokou did not see much of a need for it. It was merely a precaution, as she did not have to undergo full atmospheric reentry due to Reisen's proximity. She thought this for a few seconds, then she noticed a dim blue field becoming coherent in front of her eyes.

Pushing against this field was a bright field of fire. Mokou did her best to ignore the friction generate heat, focusing more on the ground below her. She could not make out any details at the moment. She prayed that she was headed in the right direction.

The more aggressive resistance to her descent quickly died down, and she began to feel the air push back against her. She had a parachute, stealthed as she was, to deploy when she approached the ground. Mokou took a deep breath as she saw the surface zooming up towards her.

She knew the descent was going to take some time, but it didn't. Time seemed to rush by, as Mokou's breath rushed faster and faster, and her blood boiled in her veins. Her teeth were going to be ground down to dust at this rate.

She saw a mansion below, a structure amidst a large forest, stretching for a couple kilometers. Mokou could only assume that was her target. At the moment, she was due to land a bit to the side, but that was perfectly alright.

The immortal did her best to calm herself, but she found that even tears were distracting her now. It made no sense. She could 'survive' a fall, and if she was found by Kagome's people, Kaguya would have to recognize her at some point. Mokou prepared to release the parachute as she got closer.

Reisen had informed her that the parachute was also activate by being intent on activating it. The whole system of mental control still made no sense to Mokou, but the girl still wanted to try and understand.

The ground was even closer. The trees were very tall, and out of panic, Mokou deployed the parachute. She was yanked back up by the sudden reversal, and her speed refused to drastically drop. Mokou's heart fell as she realized that she had pulled too late.

Her panic had ignore the warnings from her suit. She was now going to land farther away from the mansion, but hopefully in better shape than she would otherwise. Mokou had been told that the parachute would repack itself once she touched down.

Mokou saw as she got closer that the trees were in strange shapes. The trunks and branches of some twisted and curved like they were much more flexible than wood really was. The result was that there was a thick net of wood and leaves over some locations. And the issue with this was that Mokou was headed directly towards such a net.

She held her arms out in front of herself, before she came up with an idea. It was risky, but it was better than dying after hitting a tree at fifty miles an hour. She intended to use her magic to propel herself away, or at least slow herself.

The current thicket she was angled towards was some thirty feet from the ground, and as Mokou held out her leg and prepared, her parachute was caught for the briefest second. Once again, she had not been as focused as she should have been.

The net of branches lay about five feet away from where Mokou hung against the side of a tree. She could not reach anything else. But the suit seemed to recognize this dilemma. Without warning, the cables attaching the parachute automatically snapped as Mokou thought of cutting them to get free.

The immortal tried to fly. It should have been easy. She did it all the time back home. While it was something that not many people did in Gensokyo, it was usually necessary for danmaku, so she did her best to lift herself up. The attempt spectacularly failed.

Mokou plummeted downwards, only holding up for a split second. _What?! _She cried to herself as she accelerated downwards. She flailed in confusion before a massive force hit her stomach. The immortal girl bounced off the branch she had struck and fell another few feet before landing on a wider limb.

Her first response was to panic even more, given that she had taken a hit that would have killed a human. Mokou scrambled to her feet, checking to see that her body was unharmed. She found that she hadn't been hit. The shield had taken the blow, and while it was no longer active entirely, it had nullified any damage.

Mokou sighed in relief, then spun around. Behind her, the walls of the mansion rose up. Mokou quickly realized she'd have to get over those. The girl turned to the tree she had just fallen off of. _Sure wish I could still fly, _Mokou had no idea why it was impossible to do so, but as she started her attempt up the tree, she decided that it was a question to be pondered later.

Mokou moved across the branches, slowly making her way to the point where she could jump over the wall. The limb curved downwards, snaking down into the outskirts of the mansion. Standing at the very end put Mokou in range of being able to jump onto the outside balcony she saw. It bore many features, but none interested Mokou as she leapt.

The girl stood up, taking a deep breath. _Now all I have to do is find Kaguya, and she'll make sure I'm not killed. _There were footsteps. Mokou froze. She was entirely invisible to any kind of detection, but she was still frozen by panic.

A maid exited the door inside. Bright golden hair framed her pretty face. _Just a maid, _Mokou thought, then painfully remembered a few knife wounds from a certain other maid, and reconsidered that assessment.

Especially as she shouted out in pain. The maid had been ten feet from Mokou. In what had to be a blink of an eye, Mokou's right knee was in immense pain. The maid, with her high-heeled shoe, had planted a kick into her kneecap. The force was massive enough to nearly break the bone, but all it resulted in was Mokou screaming out in pain as she fell down.

The golden girl circled entirely around Mokou with lightning speed, and then moved her arms smoothly. Mokou's right arm was nearly pushed entirely out of the joint in this circling. The maid then leaned over, her left leg lancing into Mokou's face. The sharp heel actually cracked one of the eye holes.

The left leg was planted and the girl spun. Her right leg whipped across Mokou's face as her right hand grabbed the immortal's left wrist. The left forearm was pushed back as the maid brought her right hand backwards. Once again, Mokou could feel her bone's almost breaking free of their natural arrangements.

The golden hair of the girl whipped about her head as her left elbow hammered into Mokou. She spun about, using the tremendous force of her instantaneous turn to whip her other elbow across Mokou's face. Mokou's left hand was caught, and she was pulled back up long enough for the maid to circle around behind her.

The armor did not entirely cover her neck, exposing the bodyglove. Mokou was horrified as she felt the tough substance get cut apart by a small blade, though she had seen the maid draw nothing. What horrified her more, even in her start of near unconsciousness, was the next person to emerge as her helmet was slowly removed.

Kaguya Houraisan frowned as she saw her maid dealing with the intruder. Verena had already called for reinforcements, and the entire mansion was in lockdown as a squadron of drone craft flew in and circled around the balcony. Rabbits cloaked in the trees jumped down and surrounded Kaguya and Verena.

The immortal approached the person in the suit of armor. "An experimental stealth suit," Verena explained, "I said I felt something was off."

Kaguya nodded, "Remove the helmet." She was impressed as usual, given that Verena had managed to completely disable the intruder in a little less than three seconds. _I suppose it's a little worse than usual, _Kaguya thought, but that train of thought was torn apart in every single way possible when the helmet was taken from the armored suit.

"Cancel the alert," Kaguya said, and as Verena hesitated, she insisted, "Cancel it! Now!"

Verena trusted her, and canceled the alert. She had to do some insisting of her own, but by that point, Kaguya was stepping forwards faster. "Let go of her," Kaguya ordered, as her hand reached out to tighten around Mokou's throat.

Kaguya slammed the white-haired girl into the ground, banging her head against the surface, before grabbing onto with her other hand and tossing her into the air. "Stupid Mokou!" Kaguya screamed as her hand flashed brightly and sent a trio of bright beams flashing into her chest.

Mokou died, falling onto her back. Kaguya stared at the corpse for a few seconds, amidst the confused stares of the others present. Rushed footsteps indicated another presence, Salathiel walked out, "Ma'am?" he saw the body, but Kaguya spoke first.

"Don't worry," Kaguya said. "Put her on my bed." Verena lifted up the corpse and did as she was told, choosing not to question for the moment.

Salathiel saw the dead body, "Isn't that an issue?" he wondered, scared of the look Kaguya gave him.

"She's just like me," Kaguya said, and the meaning of that was clear.

She brushed past Salathiel, walking back into her room. Salathiel hurried after her. "Salathiel, push everything back by about an hour, maybe more if I say so," Kaguya ordered.

"What?!" the man cried, "But, but-"

"Do it," it was clear that he was not going to be able to fight this one, so Salathiel did not. He nodded, walking out of her room into the interior of the mansion. Verena stood in Kaguya's room, eyebrows raised at her lady.

"Another immortal," Kaguya said, "Reisen must have helped her get up here. Used to be in Black Ops, that little rabbit."

"So this girl…" Verena sounded a bit regretful, "This is the other one?"

Kaguya looked hurt. Like a blooming flower crushed. Looking back at Mokou, she took a deep breath. "I won't confirm that,"

"But you won't deny it?" Verena wondered. Kaguya nodded. "I understand…" Verena looked down, slowly walking past Kaguya. The former princess clamped her hand down on Verena. The maid froze, afraid for a split second.

"Don't," Kaguya begged, "Don't hate me, please."

"You've made the promises I've asked you to make. I want you to be happy." Verena was about to keep walking when Kaguya spun around and embraced her from behind.

"Please," Kaguya said, "Forgive me,"

Verena smiled sincerely. "I already have. I don't hate you. I swear." She put a hand on Kaguya's, who then let her go. Verena exited the room in silence.

Kaguya realized that she had not even told the girl to leave. She was about to give the command, when Verena had already walked away. _If she can read my mind that well, then surely she knows best…_Kaguya thought. Then she turned around, seeing Mokou still there.

The former princess took a seat on the edge of the bed, eyes downcast, as she waited for the person she hated to awake from what was more common than sleep for her.

* * *

Eirin turned slowly, taking but two steps back towards Eientei before she paused. Her head turned towards a certain section of the woods. "Maid," she softly called, "Don't run. I don't feel like chasing anyone at the moment."

The bushes barely moved at all as Sakuya Izayoi came out from behind them. A look of shame was on her face, and she bowed gently to the woman as she emerged. "I apologize, Ms. Yagokoro, but my mistress asked that I not be noticed by anyone." She lifted up her stopwatch.

Eirin hadn't seen the girl move. Then she was behind the Lunarian. Eirin moved quickly. She felt something dig into her back as her hand whipped towards the maid. A graceful step backwards resulted in Eirin's strike missing entirely. Sakuya bowed her head in apology. Eirin's vision felt a bit shaky. "You shall remember nothing. I promise."

Eirin fell down to the ground, anger on her face. She felt the poison course through her, and was astounded by the strength of it. _That's powerful, _she thought, _it's not just that magician…did someone else…_Then everything went black.

Sakuya took a deep breath. Lifting a handkerchief to the arrow in her hand, she wiped the blood from the object. "I hate to turn this gift back on you, but I do what I am asked." The maid raised her stopwatch, and was gone.

* * *

"Eirin? Eirin?" The old Lunarian stirred to the sound of a woman's voice. As her eyelids flickered, she noticed Yukari's face. The concerned youkai stared at the Lunarian as she propped the woman up against the wall of Eientei.

Eirin looked around, wondering where she was. The question was voiced, with Yukari saying, "I found you lying in the forest. There was not a trace of anyone else around. You were unconscious."

Eirin nodded, "Last thing I remember, I went with Reisen and Mokou to see them off…but I don't even remember going out there…" She seemed worried.

"What could have happened?" Yukari asked, "Were you attacked?"

"I don't…I don't know," Eirin was confused as she tried to dig into her memories. Her hands grabbed either side of her head as she shook her head, "This doesn't make any sense. Something made me forget. It couldn't have been some kind of poison, I'm immune to all kinds…" She shuddered in fright as all the possibilities raced through her head. "Unless they had some kind of catalyst…or focus…" Her eyes widened.

_Is it them? No, they wouldn't dare move now…_Eirin looked at Yukari, "I was just tired…" She acted like she did remember, "I've been up for a while, several days straight actually. Physically fine, but I guess even my mind has its limits."

Yukari nodded warily, "Are you certain?" She didn't entirely trust the woman.

"Quite certain," Eirin said, "You can go, unless you wanted to speak to me about something."

"I did. I came here, but I was pointed to the forest by Tewi. She gave me instructions, but I just found you lying there,"

"What is it?"

"I wanted to talk about the Moon," Yukari said, "Specifically, what we're going to do with it."

* * *

Sakuya got to one knee. A dark red liquid swished around in the glass of the one who she bowed before. "Oh get up, Sakuya," the young girl's voice insisted, "One day you'll stop kowtowing every time I look at you,"

Sakuya nodded, "Milady, I did as you asked. Ms. Yagokoro noticed me, but she shall not be remembering anything." An ethereal presence to the left of the vampire spoke up.

"You're welcome for that!"

"Thank you," Sakuya nodded to the floating shape, before looking back to her lady. "Ms. Inaba and Ms. Fujiwara are both headed to the Moon. The hillside broke open shortly after Eirin saw me, and while I saw nothing else, it can only be assumed that an invisible craft was responsible for that, just as was speculated." She nodded to the purple-haired girl in the room.

"What are they doing...?" Remilia wondered aloud, "If Mokou went, then Kaguya's there as well. Why would she go back there…?" She looked to her right, "Any ideas?"

The woman in blue shrugged, "My bet's on that Kaguya had to go save them from themselves or something like that. Yukari's recent actions can't have been good for things up there. But we really don't know."

"We can only speculate at the moment," Patchouli said lowly, "So I suggest we don't act on what we have. Eirin and Yukari already suspect us. I suggest we stay low for the next couple weeks. If we keep looking, then Eirin might remember. Yukari has only increased her watch on us as well. We need suspicion to die down."

"Especially with that ghost insisting to come see us…" Remilia remarked, "Dangerous, given that she's in Yukari's pocket."

"What do you suggest?" Her question was directed to Sakuya.

"We host a grand banquet," Sakuya suggested, "We distract all of Gensokyo, make it as stereotypical as per your common personality. Ms. Saigyouji won't find anything, and neither will her servant. We can make ourselves look good, and cover our secrets at the same time."

"Good idea," Remilia said, "Start organizing. We've a day, so make it good."

Sakuya nodded, "The plans are already drawn up."

How thoughtful of you, Sakuya," Remilia said, proudly.

The maid grinned with pride, "I exist to serve you."

"I'm going to hurt you the next time you spit out something like that," Remilia said, with a half-serious tone.

"And yet when I disobey you, you find the will to be most angry," Sakuya remarked. Remilia chuckled.

Looking to her right and then left, she said, "Get out of here," The one to the left floated away, seemingly disappearing.

"No need to be so angry," the figure said, leaving the room as well, her steps were heard till the doors shut once more.

After a minute, there was a brief flash from the violet mage. Nodding contently, Patchouli spoke up, "Can we trust her?"

"She's playing us to get information," Remilia said, "But in order to get anything, she has to be just as informed as we are. And since we are her informants, she has to help us get her information. Therefore, we both know the same level of information. I don't like being played, but since she really has nothing on us with Yukari and Eirin watching over her and her master even closer than us, I don't exactly mind. Besides, we couldn't have dealt with Eirin without her assistance."

She looked at Patchouli, "Leave us, if you could?"

Patchouli grinned knowingly and left the room. Her red-haired familiar followed dutifully behind her. Remilia focused her eyes on Sakuya. The vampire raised her eyebrows and tilted her head at a certain angle. Sakuya rolled her eyes. "Milady…please not now. I have this banquet to organize."

"Fine, fine, go have your own brand of fun," Remilia crossed her arms as Sakuya bowed and turned around.

"You'll need to contribute at some point, milady." Sakuya pointed out as she exited.

* * *

Reisen leaned back in her chair. She shut her eyes tightly, wishing that she was not where she was. Twelve hours of tension had passed before she had identified a light cruiser due to make landfall. She could easily slip in alongside the wake of such a vessel.

And as she guided the shuttle in for its final approach on the craft, Reisen only felt her heart start racing even more. Short breaths were the only thing she heard as she gently ground her teeth against one another.

The rabbit had already taken one dose of what Eirin had given her. It was supposed to last twenty-four hours. It was wearing off already, as some very bad memories started to come back.

Reisen took out two syringes from the small pouch. Her helmet was off, and both went smoothly into her neck, one after another. There was a sense of drowsiness at first, and Reisen felt like she'd made a huge mistake, till things sorted themselves out.

The rabbit had been genetically modified to survive attacks from biochemical attacks that could kill even Lunarians. She could handle a drug overdose. The rabbit stood up, boots locking to the floor. Her helmet was put back on her head as she walked through the craft. Her gun was on her back, and she had every piece of gear she might need.

She was going to touch down roughly one hundred kilometers from the Kagome Mansion. If she was undetected, then it would not be as difficult as if she was detected. That was all there was to it.

Reisen took a deep breath as she walked to the rear. A button on a wall lowered something from the ceiling. It looked like a large casket. Reisen got into it as the lid automatically opened. She had set the craft on a collision course with the sun. As soon as Reisen left, the ship would fly away.

Power would be lost long before it could be detected, and eventually it would burn up. The insertion was set to be something along the lines of ideal. Reisen watched as the lid closed over herself.

She felt the straps lock her into position within the POIV. Personal Orbital Insertion Vehicle. The acronym was entirely different in Lunarian. Reisen had been in one of these on multiple occasions.

She closed her eyes, praying to the gods that she knew to exist. It wouldn't be long now. She counted down in her head.

The door opened, and the POIV was launched from the shuttle. Its stealth systems prevented detection by anything else, and it could guide its descent down to a millimeter. The light cruiser was just starting to enter the atmosphere when the casket came down beside it. The ship was some six hundred meters long, while the small POIV was only ten feet.

The wake of the cruiser did not damage the heavily shielded casket Reisen was in, and from there, it was a controlled descent through the atmosphere. She doubted anyone would be looking for the method of insertion she used, so the rabbit was not worried about being pursued at first.

Then the fear kicked in. Reisen's eyes went wide, and she felt her muscles seize up as the drugs failed, and a dozen terrible memories from previous descents into an atmosphere came back to her.

The fear lasted all the way till she smashed into the ground. Had the impact not had any kind of effect on the girl inside, then she might have lain there for hours. But it did have an effect, and the rabbit was jolted from her fear, the emotion converting into a kind of panic.

She instinctively opened the lid, and almost leapt out of the box. Stumbling onto her feet, the rabbit looked around. As expected, she landed in a relatively safe area. There was a patch of mountains five kilometers to the east, and after that it would not be very hard to get to Kagome.

As it was now, the rabbit found herself in a sort of desert. It wasn't a true desert, the temperature wasn't blisteringly hot and the ground wasn't sand. It was just a desert compared to the fertility of the rest of the Moon.

It was more of a plain, with trees and bushes here and there. The area was quite well-known on the Moon, as it was the one area that had yet to entirely recover from the multiple nuclear detonations there thousands of years before.

Mainly because the detonations were some of the most powerful dirty magitech nukes conceived. There had once been a city here. Now it was a gentle rolling plain. The Plain of Reminders. The radiation had gone away for the most part, and her armor would shield her from the rest. Theoretically.

Reisen turned towards the mountains, her footsteps carrying her quickly as the POIV started to dissolve. It was an automatic process, to disguise her method of entry. A powerful acid would deconstruct the entire thing and then disintegrate itself, leaving only a hole in the ground where the vehicle impacted.

Reisen heard a sound she recognized. Hitting the ground, the rabbit tapped a small button on her back. From her pack, a long strip of cloth was released. The rabbit spread it over herself, and lay absolutely still.

Missiles streaked through the air, presumably headed towards her location. She knew that they were not going to explode.

The projectiles streaking through the sky were large, bulky. Obviously not suited for any kind of real battle. Then they split apart. The payload compartment popped open, releasing two dozen drones from each massive missile. Forty-eight of the small things covered the landscape, examining the area in depth.

Somehow Reisen had been detected. Such drone-carrying missiles were commonly carried, so it wasn't special. There was no trace of the POIV at this point, and Reisen herself was sitting under a camo netting. No drones would find her.

She waited for about twenty minutes as the area was thoroughly scoured. She had been taught how to infiltrate Lunar defenses, and had done so during practices on many occasions. So she knew that the drones would drain their power supplies dry after twenty minutes, such was the intensity of their surveillance. Though they made no sound in the first place, she knew their timing.

The rabbit put the netting back in her pack, and started moving once again. Her heart was still pounding, but it seemed that the drugs were finally having an effect. Reisen estimated she would be fine for about a few hours more. After that, she had no idea what might happen.

* * *

Kaguya sat on the edge of the bed that she had learned to call hers. A myriad of emotions passed through her mind every second she sat there, only pushing her further and further into confusion.

The tension generated just by her waiting was thick. Her body shook, dreading the second Mokou woke. She'd have preferred Mokou stayed on the Earth.

Low breaths came from behind her, easily heard in the silence of the room. Kaguya took a deep breath of her own as the other immortal slowly sat up. "…" Kaguya could hear an intake of breath, like someone was ready to speak.

"Why?" was the only thing the once princess said.

"I was concerned," Mokou said reluctantly, "I…I didn't want to leave you behind."

"That doesn't make sense," Kaguya remarked.

"I know," Mokou didn't seem to know the answer either. "I wanted to try to help you…that's why I came all the way back here…"

"Help me with what?" Kaguya asked, "What can…what can _you_ do to help _me_?"

"I don't know," Mokou admitted, "But I wish that there was something I could do,"

Kaguya stood up, nodding. She walked out towards the exit to the balcony. "Follow me if you wish, I don't care. You'll be sent back tomorrow morning." The girl delivered these words without even glancing at Mokou.

The white-haired immortal froze. She couldn't go back now, not after all she had gone through to get to this point. She quickly went outside. It was dark now. She had no idea how long she had slept, but the sun had been setting when she arrived.

Frantically, she stormed out onto the balcony, to see Kaguya sitting beside a small pond. It was one that had been built into the floor, and surrounded by small bushes to give a natural feel. Mokou approached slowly.

"K-K-Kaguya," she said softly, "Please?"

The former princess nodded. Mokou walked forwards. She took a seat to the right of the girl, leaning against the wall of the balcony to look directly at Kaguya, who kept her eyes downcast, aimed at the small ripples in the water that her bare feet made.

The dark-haired girl had an elaborate gown on. It was clear that she had something important to do. Mokou felt bad, knowing that whatever event it was had probably been cancelled for her sake.

"I'm sorry," Mokou said, "I see you had something else to do." The girl had tears in her eyes, realizing that she really had no control over her situation.

"I assume Reisen helped you get up here?" Kaguya asked.

"Yes," Mokou said, "But she's headed back to the Earth."

"Stupid bitch," Kaguya said, the insult being obviously directed at Mokou, "I didn't ask about where she is now. So when will she be here?"

"I didn't-fine, she said she's waiting for an opportunity, but I don't know when she'll be here." Mokou said. She decided to withhold any further information about the rabbit.

"Anything more I need to know?"

"No matter what I say, you'll know the truth," Mokou said, "So why say anything at all?"

"Good point," the two girls, the two hated enemies, spoke in low voices, enough so that only they could hear. No one else was around to hear them, and their silence was not out of fear of being heard.

"Why are you crying?" Kaguya asked. She hadn't even turned her eyes towards Mokou. "Because you miss me?"

"I…I don't want to be left behind!" The words came out loudly, and the sudden increase in volume surprised even Kaguya. "You're the only other immortal in the whole universe. Eventually, everything's going to be gone but us…and if you're separated from me…what am I supposed to do?"

Kaguya laughed out loud. She laughed for a few minutes straight, leaving Mokou dumbstruck and scared. The princess fell onto her back, rolling onto her left side so that she faced away from Mokou.

Then she was no longer laughing. Mokou heard the girl crying. The immortal sprung forwards, hands reaching out. Kaguya batted them away, sitting up suddenly with a maniacal look on her face. "Get away from me!" she shouted, "I hate you! I hate you!"

Mokou backed up against the wall. "Say it!" Kaguya demanded, "Say I hate you!"

Mokou opened her mouth, at first doing it just because she was scared to not do it. She could not deliver the words. It was only three words. "I…I can't do it…" Mokou muttered.

"Why?!" Kaguya demanded, getting to her feet.

"I don't know…" Mokou met Kaguya's eyes. The dark-haired girl shut her eyes.

"We've hated each other for one thousand years…and now all of a sudden, you can't hate me?"

"Have we hated each other for that long?" Mokou asked.

Kaguya lunged forwards. Before Mokou could react, the girl's hands were around her throat. Mokou both tried to resist, and let Kaguya do what she was doing. The next thing the girl knew, she was immersed in water.

Kaguya held her head under the surface of the pond. Long after Mokou was dead did she pull the body out. She stood up, body trembling in fright. She glared at the dead body, then kicked it multiple times.

She keep kicking until her foot hurt too much to continue. She turned around, walking back towards her room. "Verena," She called out.

The maid entered. Kaguya gestured to the mess outside. "Clean it up,"

"Kaguya?" Verena asked upon seeing Mokou.

"It annoyed me, so I killed it," the immortal stated undressing so she could get into bed.

"Are you going to bed?" Verena asked.

"Yes," Kaguya said.

"You've other things planned for the night," the maid reminded her.

"Tell _him_ I'll see_ him_ tomorrow, an extremely unexpected complication arose." Kaguya said. She got into her bed, lying down and shutting her eyes. She felt moisture continue to stain her cheeks as she lay there.

She closed her eyes harder, hands going to cover her ears, as if that would shut out all the bad thoughts. Kaguya cried harder, wishing that Mokou had never come to see her.

Fujiwara no Mokou woke up. She felt blood staining the suit she wore. It was true. She felt like water should be soaking her head, but apparently it had been dried. Mokou found that she was on the same balcony as before, but Kaguya was gone.

The blood on the floor had been cleaned up. But the water was still tainted with something of a crimson hue. Mokou stood up. She took a deep breath, then went back into Kaguya's room.

There she saw the girl lying in bed, staring at the door still. She seemed to be asleep. Mokou slowly walked forwards. She had nowhere else to go, so she leaned back against the side of Kaguya's bed. She was not comfortable, but she was immensely tired.

Sleep came quickly.

* * *

Kaguya had watched Mokou sit down, and while she wished for the girl to go away, she also didn't. She decided what she had to do.

Yui Kagome was woken early in the morning by the knock of Serafima. "Your highness, Ms. Houraisan wishes to speak with you."

The princess stirred from bed, and was barely standing up before the door opened. The first rays of sunlight had yet to emerge into the room, but Kaguya was fully dressed. She was not followed by anyone into the room, and the door was shut.

"Yui," Kaguya said, "I need your help."

The princess first noticed the glint on Kaguya's face, indicating some sort of sorrow. She saw how she preferred one foot over the other. It was her left foot. She wasn't left-handed. "What did you do?"

"You know the alarm?" Kaguya asked, "And do you remember the other immortal?"

"How did she get here?" Yui asked.

"It was Reisen. But Eirin would have to allow it." Kaguya said, "Which angers me."

"Because she knows right, so she wouldn't have let Mokou come up here if it weren't for a good reason."

"I was on a good track!" Kaguya cried, "I was going to…going to destroy the Purists, get rid of all this stupidity, then go back down to the Earth! Why did she have to come in! She could ruin everything if her presence is found out!"

"You still hate her?"

Kaguya was caught by surprise, "Of course I hate her," she said quickly. Yui stood up. Slowly, her steps led her towards Kaguya. The princess embraced her old friend tightly.

"I can tell when you're lying…" she whispered gently.

"But I hate her…" Kaguya said, "I hate Mokou!"

"Why did you hate her in the first place?"

"Because…because she hated me, and tried to kill me!" Kaguya declared.

"But if you've accepted that you were in the wrong to do anything to her father in the first place, then why do you still hate her?" Yui wondered.

Kaguya gritted her teeth. It was hard forcing the words out. "Because she made herself immortal just to kill me. She's a dumb little girl, who doesn't understand the torment she condemned herself to."

"Why did she come here?"

"She says she doesn't want to be left behind," Kaguya whispered, "Because I'm the only thing that will always be there with her."

"So couldn't you say that Mokou does understand? She seeks you because she needs you. Maybe she doesn't hate you. Maybe she still does. But what's clear is that she needs you right now. And she understands that. So what reason do you have to hate her?" Yui's words were soft and gentle.

They hurt Kaguya. She was afraid of forgiving Mokou. Afraid of what might happen after that. "Go on," Yui insisted, "Go back there, and tell her how you really feel."

Kaguya shook her head, "What happens if she refuses me? What if she still does hate me? I'll…I'll have to live with that forever."

"True," Yui said, "But if you don't take the chance, then you'll be stuck in this state for the same amount of time."

Kaguya pushed away from Yui. "You've been acting differently than before you left, very differently." the princess said, "And while I try to get close to you, you somehow manage to be close to me yet still so incredibly distant. It seems that Mokou is closer to your heart than anyone else is-"

"Shut up!" Kaguya screamed. The hate in her voice was honest. Then the immortal froze, realizing how she had just proved the girl's point. Kaguya turned around, walking towards the door.

She was fast, faster than Yui could speak. Kaguya desperately banged on the door, and it was opened quickly. Yui could only stand in silence. Serafima entered, the opening of the door betraying the sound of Kaguya hurrying away with her maid behind her.

"What happened?" Yui shook her head at the question that came from her advisor.

"Nothing you need to care about," Yui wished the words were true.

"Kaguya is going to cause trouble, isn't she?" Serafima asked.

"Hasn't she done so already?" Yui replied, "The girl's…so different. I don't know what changed her, but we can only wish that it was not for the worse."

"Do you miss the old her?"

"Don't say that," Yui said, "She's…" Tears came to her eyes, "She's the same as before." Serafima bowed her head. The opening and closing of the door was the only thing that revealed her exit.

Yui chuckled, seeing that Serafima had seen that talking wouldn't help. Yui turned around, falling onto her bed. Her face buried in the sheets, the princess shut her eyes. _Kaguya…why can't you be…be yourself…_

The princess stood up. She didn't know what force made her walk outside her room. Not further into the mansion. Her steps took her to the outside, where she looked up at the sky. Wiping the tears from her face, she dropped to her knees.

"I don't know what plague has cursed the Lunarian people as of late, but I find that not for thousands of years have we been reduced to this level. Everything is changing so incredibly drastically. Perhaps I am just a fragment of the old times. Maybe we all are. Kaguya, myself, those around us. We stay here on our Moon, without thinking to the future, content to believe that those other beings in the universe will never think of us, never look at this Moon and think of it as more than just a satellite."

Yui shook her head, her body shaking in fright as she thought of the things that might happen. "It's been far too long," she whispered, "Far too long since this last happened. Humans…they fight wars all the time, like it's natural. But thousands of years of peace…that just seems unnatural, even for us."

"And maybe because it's unnatural…maybe the universe has decided to exact unnatural vengeance against us for our complacency with our lives," Yui laughed at the foolishness of the entire idea. "If it were only that simple…" she muttered.

* * *

A gentle wind swept across the mountain, healthy green leaves easily hanging onto their parents. The wind was luckily moist, coming in to sweep away the harshness of the summer sun that beat down upon one of the higher points in Gensokyo.

Gentle hands held the broom as it swept across the ground, knocking any excess debris from the path leading up towards the shrine. Given the cleanliness of the ground, the action truthfully was an idle one. But given the peacefulness of the day, there wasn't much else to do.

Under the shade of the shrine itself, the two figures watched the green-haired miko at work, humming to herself as she went. Yet they were far more serious than she, and concerned about things far greater than the cleanliness of the shrine.

"Something's off…" Kanako stated, "It's just a fact. Eientei's been strange for the past few days, too quiet. I'm just getting a bad feeling."

"It could just be Kaguya messing around," Suwako pointed out, though she seemed to be more of a devil's advocate than anything.

"Then why the big deal. Yukari is hiding something whenever I ask her, so that means she's in on this too. And anything Yukari is in on is something I want to know more about." Kanako said.

"I know," the frog goddess across from her said. "Yet what can we do but wait for them to reveal themselves? I don't think there's anything more that can be done."

"We'll find something…" Kanako assured her, "Sanae is probably our way in. Given Yukari has to do with this, Reimu might know something, and since she's friends with Sanae, I think ours could get something from her."

"Reimu is going to be a tough nut to crack," Suwako pointed, "Especially if Yukari's going to make sure she won't talk."

"We'll find a way." Kanako said.

Sanae looked up, hearing another sound amidst that of the gentle wind. A pair of black wings fluttered, signaling the descent of a girl a few feet from her. "Good afternoon, Aya," Sanae said with a sweet smile as the tengu touched down.

"Hello," the girl excitedly replied. A satchel was around her body, and her hand fished into it as Sanae wondered.

"What brings you here?"

"This," Aya answered, handing a letter to Sanae. "That's for the gods," she said.

Sanae frowned as she looked at it, seeing that the letter was from the Scarlet Devil Mansion. "I was asked to hand these out by the maid, the party's tomorrow."

Sanae nodded. "Hold on," She said, turning and quickly running inside.

Bowing as she entered, she handed the letter to Kanako. "It's from the Scarlets," she said.

The wind goddess frowned. She opened it. As her eyes looked over the page, she nodded. "Alright…" Then her eyes went to Sanae, who had already ran off to speak to Aya.

Even as Kanako chuckled at the girl's childishness, she held up the letter to Suwako. "This is our way in," she said, grinning.

* * *

A sigh emanated from the mouth of the girl as she leaned back in her chair, idle conversation filling the room around her. Dark shadows under her eyes indicated exhaustion, yet she had been in bed all night long. At least in this world.

She jumped as she felt something buzz. Her hand leapt for where she had put the phone. As she dug it from her bag, Sumireko flipped the device open. She instantly wished that she hadn't attempted to look at the caller ID before answering.

A strange series of symbols confronted her, things from a language not of this world. Disregarding that, she hit the button to answer. "Hello?" she asked, speaking quietly.

"Be warned, there might be people out there with the ability to wound a god. I doubt you'll be targeted, but keep an eye out for anything suspicious." Yukari ended the call at that.

Sumireko was left with wide eyes. A shudder passed through her body as she turned her head all around, surveying the classroom. Suddenly, she wished that she'd never gotten wrapped up in any of this.

* * *

Mokou awoke. She was not leaning against a hard surface. Instead, she found something soft supporting her back. Looking about herself, the girl was surprised to discover that she was in a bed. Kaguya's bed to be exact. Mokou frowned, wondering why she would be put there.

"Miss," Janessa was there. She bowed her head to Mokou. "Ms. Houraisan had you moved to her bed when she got up earlier. I woke you to see if you wished to eat. Breakfast is prepared."

Mokou nodded, "I guess," she said. She stood up, wondering where Kaguya was. "Where is Kaguya?"

"Ms. Houraisan went to see her highness Kagome," said the maid. "She shall return eventually."

Mokou didn't lie the vagueness of that, but she followed the girl out of the room. Being led downstairs, Mokou smelled the scent of freshly cooked food. It was something that had smelled many times, but not like this. It was amazing, simply amazing.

There were many new scents, but for the most part, Mokou was looking forwards to the meal. In the back of the head, she reminded herself that Kaguya was going to send her back once she came back, but why not enjoy some food before that?

Mokou was seated, and saw that Kaguya had some very hardworking maids. A grand meal, easily enough to feed a dozen people, had been made. And all seemingly by one girl, frantically running around the large kitchen.

Mokou started to dig into what she found in front of her. Her plate was covered in eggs, pancakes, and even sausages. She had no idea that the Lunarians actually ate meat, but she enjoyed the fact that she had it. She did start to frown at the meat she consumed, leading to a blue-haired maid, who was seated and eating, saying, "It's synthetic. There are no animals on the Moon anymore, and creating more for domestic use wouldn't be the purest thing to do, so we just create synthetic meat."

Mokou nodded, continuing to eat in silence. She started to think, her mind racing. Given that she was going home, she figured that she might as well speak her mind to Kaguya. _Do…Do I really not hate her…_Mokou realized she'd been lying to herself. She almost laughed, at how the revelation came during a simple meal, but it was a serious one.

_I do hate her…I still hate that girl for the things she's done to me. I'm scared…and that made me want to be with her. Maybe it's better that I go back…getting mad at her now would only cause her trouble. _Mokou hated her, but understood that Kaguya's actions here affected more than just herself.

Mokou took a deep breath, wondering when the former princess would return. Shouting voices and crashing noises downstairs revealed that she had returned. Kaguya stormed up the stairs, shouting down Verena, who had been calmly trying to talk Kaguya down from her anger.

Mokou stood up, immediately approaching the girl. The immortal realized she was acting on impulse at this point, but she felt good in her gut, so she let all of this occur. "Mokou," Kaguya began. There was tension and anger still in her voice, but not directed entirely at Mokou, "I wanted to say-" She was hit.

Mokou's fist, encircled by flames, hit Kaguya in the face. The girl's head was whipped to the side and her words cut off, before Mokou moved again. But then Mokou herself was moved downwards. Verena had the girl in a chokehold, and Mokou realized that there were somehow multiple bruises over her body, even though barely a second had passed.

"Damn it," Kaguya said, shaking her head, but the words seemed directed at Verena, and the other five maids who all had weapons pointed at Mokou. "Let her go," Kaguya insisted, "We did this all the time,"

Verena hesitated, raising her eyebrows, "Do it!" Kaguya insisted, "From now on, if this girl, Fujiwara no Mokou, attacks me, do not stop her!" It was a very stern order to her maids.

Verena released Mokou. The immortal's left fist hit Kaguya in the face. Her collar was grabbed, and she was thrown down onto the ground as her leg was kicked out. Mokou sat atop her, landing blow after blow. "You think that I don't hate you! You think that I just forgave you! You're wrong!" Mokou screamed with all the fury and hate she could muster.

"I'm scared, but I know you are too! We're both terrified, because we're immortals!" Her fists hit Kaguya in the face, before the hits shifted towards her chest. "One day, it'll just be you and me left, and that scares us!" Her voice dropped down, and she spoke softer, "But that doesn't mean that I forgive you for the things that you did to me! To my family!"

"Send me back to the Earth! Do it! I don't care anymore, but know that I didn't come up here because I wanted to tell you how much I want to be your friend. I came here to make sure you'll never run away from me! to show you that no matter how far you run…I'll always catch up to you!"

Kaguya was almost gone. Mokou took a deep breath, happy that she could let out her pent-up feelings. She stood up shakily. Looking around, she asked, "So, when am I going back?"

"No," the word drifted up from Kaguya. She was barely alive, but Mokou had seemingly gone easy on her. "Please, Mokou…" She whispered, face bloodied.

"What?" the word was spat at Kaguya.

Verena helped Kaguya to her feet. Looking Mokou in the eyes, Kaguya grinned a little, "I'm not a good person. I'll admit that to you. I won't forgive you for the things you've done. That's not what I want…but Mokou…this place is changing me."

"What do you mean?"

"I need something from back then, those thousand years on the Earth. I need someone like that by my side. You understand me better than anyone else from my time on Earth. Please, stay here. You can be so helpful." Kaguya sounded sad. "I'm losing track of everything I learned down there…I don't want to lose it all."

"I don't want to be paraded around as a prime example of what a good human is," Mokou said.

"I'll use you," Kaguya stated flatly, "I won't deny that. I will use like the tool you are. But if you really want it, then just say the word, and you can stay here."

Mokou looked Kaguya in the eyes. The two stared at each other. "This isn't me forgiving you. This isn't me becoming your friend. This is me agreeing to assist you so that we may resolve this as fast as possible, so that you can come back to the Earth as soon as possible."

Kaguya nodded, "Then your choice is made…" She whispered.

Verena looked on with sorrow, a sorrow she hid from everyone there. Kaguya regained the strength to walk on her own, and she stumbled forwards a little at first. Mokou stepped back, willing to let the injured girl fall over.

"You can function as my bodyguard," Kaguya said, "Nalini, take Mokou, start teaching her the proper dialect she needs to now. Janessa, my meeting is rescheduled?"

"The general will see you at noon," the maid answered.

"Then have Mokou ready by then. She can come along, I assume we're going to him?"

"Yes,"

"Then it shall truly be an experience." The former princess sighed at the idea, however. Kaguya looked at Mokou, "Run along now," she insisted, "Get ready,"

The immortal nodded, and walked over to meet Nalini. Kaguya turned around. She saw that Verena was sad. Kaguya understood why. She stepped in close, and embraced the girl tightly. "Never forget what I've said," Kaguya whispered.

* * *

**I've not much to say here. I'm happy I got something out roughly on time, though. **


	17. Family Reunion

Kaguya stepped into the shuttle. Two people were already there. Nariari and her servant sat across from the woman. Verena smoothly sat down to the right side of Kaguya. Mokou hesitated, before sitting to the left of Kaguya, having been in the rear of the line as it went into the craft.

At the press of a button by Karisso, the shuttle was lifting off the ground. No one save Mokou was bothered by the sudden acceleration. The white-haired immortal shuddered in her seat as she noticed the world outside slip away. She was strapped in, but the dampeners inside the ship meant that one didn't need to remain belted.

Karisso looked at Mokou with concern, but even Mokou could tell that he was suppressing a laugh. His master was much more forthcoming, simply laughing out loud at Mokou's discomfort.

Kaguya shook her head, while Verena did nothing. The maid's cold glare forwards, seemingly uncaring about the rest of the world, was the thing that disturbed Mokou the most at the moment.

Nariari handed three thick folders to Kaguya. They were all identical in the contents. One was handed to Mokou. She opened it, seeing a photograph of a rather handsome, young-looking man. Mokou used 'young' loosely, as Kaguya looked quite young. She noticed something strange.

Her eyebrow went up as she looked at Kaguya. "My son," the former princess said, "That's who he is." Mokou's jaw dropped. While the connection explained while he shared the same last name as his mother, she had never seen Kaguya as the kind to have a son.

"You…you had a son?" Mokou could not express the amazement she felt in any physical way.

Those besides Kaguya have her strange looks. Mokou looked around, protesting, "Hey, she sat inside all day long if she wasn't trying to kill me! That doesn't give me the image of a happy child-bearing wife!"

"It was over three and a half thousand years ago," Kaguya said, "You know what political marriages are?"

Mokou nodded. "Well there were important here for a long time, and still are. I got with the man because it promised me a lot of benefits. I ditched him as soon as possible. He didn't make it through the Last War."

"What happened to him?" Mokou had only heard a few vague references to this war over the past few hours.

"Dead," Kaguya said, "Like I just said. Not sure how, all I knew is that I was free from that relationship."

"You killed him," Mokou said.

Kaguya shrugged, "Well, the time _before _that war was chaotic as well. Sometimes, people just disappeared…"

"You killed your husband?" Mokou asked.

"He _disappeared_," Kaguya corrected, "He never died. I just took advantage of the situation to send him off to the Jovian colonies."

"And he died there?"

"The fighting there was brutal due to the fragile nature," Kaguya said.

"You figured he would die?"

"I sent him right into the center of tensions out there," Kaguya confirmed, "So yes, I figured as much."

Mokou was still not strapped in. She put the folder to her right side as she scooted away from Kaguya. She took a deep breath as her wide eyes stared at Kaguya. Her mouth struggled to form words.

Kaguya shook her head again. "Please Mokou, you want to help me, you have to understand that I do things like that sometimes."

"Why?" Mokou asked.

"He was holding me back. I did not enjoy being with him. He didn't enjoy being with me either. The entire reason we got together in the first place was politics, from the very start we were trying to figure out how to get out of it in the future. I get the feeling that he knew exactly what he was getting into out there, but he did it out of respect for me. I outwitted him, as it was essentially forced."

"Yet you still had a child, though you two hated each other?" Mokou asked.

Kaguya didn't reply to that for a moment. When she did, it was in a low voice. "Let's just say I'm still a virgin." _She seemed content confessing her most-likely successful attempt at murder to me…but where her son came from has to be a secret? _Mokou was confused.

Ignoring that fact, Mokou still couldn't come to grips with the girl's actions. "Why?" she asked.

"I answered that question," Kaguya said. She looked at Nariari, "Before I go through all of this, anything major I need to know?"

Finding herself brushed aside, Mokou shut up and said nothing more. Her mind spun with complaints, questions, fears, but she knew voicing them now was pointless.

"We have nothing to hold against him," Nariari said, "He has been an exceptionally well-behaved person. He is one of the chiefs of staff, however."

"So either the Purists have bought him off," Kaguya said, "Or he's on our side,"

"Any idea why he asked me to see him today?" she continued.

"Nothing," Nariari answered, "But I'm not sure he's on our side. Supposedly, he's slated to be engaged to the Supreme Commander's daughter."

"Damn that boy," Kaguya gritted her teeth, "I'll knock some sense into him."

"There's more," Nariari said, "He's hailed as one of the greatest warriors in history, even Chirain acknowledges his talent."

"That arrogant prick?"

"He's not that bad," Nariari commented, "I didn't know him before the current situation, but from what I've read, he hasn't changed. At least in terms of personality."

"You met him?" Kaguya sighed.

"He requested I come see him. Tried to buy me off. Didn't work, but I found out that he's a rather nice person. Not the kind you think of when you hear the adjectives genocidal and dictator."

"Well, if that's not enough for you, then even Lord Cosmys has complimented him."

Kaguya slowly looked up at Nariari having been occupied reading through the profile assembled on the man. "Him, of all people?"

"Yes," the little girl confirmed.

"He…he's back from seclusion?"

"To an extent," Nariari said, "Not as locked away as he used to be, but he prefers to stay in the background. He hasn't even chosen a side on this whole conflict."

"Can you see if you can land a conversation with him?"

"I tried. But no one responded to me. You can try on your own," the girl took a deep breath, "But I highly doubt he's going to respond to anyone. He does what he wants."

The former exile sighed, "Yes, if he wants to speak to me, he'll come for me himself…"

Kaguya nodded, "We're almost there," she commented, "Thank you for all of this, Nariari. I'll do what I can to assess what side he's on, and see if I can get him on ours somehow."

"Is it possible?"

"We're about to find out, aren't we?" Kaguya asked. The shuttle touched down. She stood up. Verena walked out first. The former princess glared at the other immortal. Mokou was still shaken, but she got to her feet.

The three exited onto a landing pad, inside a tiny hangar. The whole thing was not in the atmosphere of the Moon. Massive glass walls exposed a view of the Moon's orbit. Kaguya smiled as she looked out at the grand sight, a smile on her face.

Mokou stood by her side, eyes still downcast. Out from a door, some ten feet from where the shuttle touched down in the tiny room suited for only craft, came a man. He looked at the group, and gestured for them to approach, but frowned as he laid his eyes upon Mokou.

"Who is that?" the question came from his lips as they approached.

"A bodyguard of mine," Kaguya said, "I can vouch for her. Just leave her alone, she's also a close friend."

The man nodded, turning around. He was dressed in a military uniform, and looked like an aide. "Follow me," he said. He led them into a large room. It looked like a large living room, with couches lying about the place. The walls were once again glass, but the ceiling and floor were not.

There was a second floor to the room, but no other exits. A set of stairs on the right hand wall, facing away from the doorway Kaguya came in, led up to that second floor. The aide gestured to the large first floor. "If you would wait here," he said to Mokou and Verena. The two nodded, with Verena almost dragging Mokou away as Kaguya was led further.

They ascended the stairs, revealing a long walkway going both left and right. Kaguya was led to the left, and found herself being ushered into a large room. A smaller living room was what she encountered, with another person already there.

The aide bowed as he made eye contact with the man. The door was shut behind Kaguya as she stepped inside, and she was alone. The back wall and ceiling were made of glass, but the other ones were not. A pair of couches faced across from each other in the center of the room. A door led into another room on the right

But Kaguya's attention was focused entirely on the man in the room. He stood beside one of the couches, his eyes directed at the door. Sanada Houraisan had a neutral expression on his face as he looked at his mother. Dark brown hair reached halfway down his neck at its longest near the back of his head, and the length decreased from there. The hair at the sides and back of his head curled near the ends, gently. Not outrageous twists, only a gentle flow to the right.

He was wearing a dark blue uniform. It was devoid of any decorations or ornamentation. Kaguya had read about a whole slew of medals supposedly given to him for various reasons, but he did not even bear his rank. Not even the symbol of the LSDF. Kaguya was already beginning to like her son again.

"Mother," he bowed his head a little.

"Sanada," she said, mimicking the motion, He bowed because she was his mother. She bowed because he technically held a higher rank in every single way than she did.

"Please sit," he gestured to the opposite couch. Kaguya sat, dressed in a light blue kimono. In the spirit of getting back into things, she was wearing a layered one.

Across from her did he sit, a light smile on his face. "So," he said, "How has the past thousand years been, mother?"

* * *

Mokou awkwardly stood in the middle of the room. Her gaze was focused on the outside. She could not help but marvel at the view provided by the glass windows. Verena sat on a chair, obviously annoyed by Mokou's actions in the past few hours, but restraining herself.

They were alone. Verena knew that she was the one being trusted here by Sanada's staff, not Mokou. Mokou knew that as well, and that made her a bit annoyed.

"Why do you hate Kaguya again?" Verena asked. She had the situation explained to her by her master, but she wanted to hear things from the other point of view.

Mokou froze. She didn't know how to properly respond to a person who could kill her in less time than it took her to blink. "Well…my father sought her hand in marriage. She, like all others who sought such a thing, ruined him. That led to him taking his anger out on me. I became angry at Kaguya."

"How was it Kaguya's fault?" Verena asked.

"She sent the men on missions that were impossible," Mokou explained.

"But it was their fault for wanting her,"

Mokou gritted her teeth. She had been facing away from Verena, and she now realized how good that was. She didn't want the girl to see how concerned she was at the moment. "It was not their fault for seeking such a beautiful person," Mokou said.

"You seem to like her," Verena said.

Without turning around, Mokou calmly delivered, "Well I don't. Can't a woman say another woman is beautiful?"

"It's different with you though," Verena said, "You seem to have more of an affection for her than you should, given what she did to you."

"Have I not explained my motives enough already?" Mokou asked. She was amazed at how calm she was remaining at the moment. She took deep breaths, locking her arms at her sides and forcing herself to face forwards.

"You have, but I think there's more. And that's really why I wanted to talk to you now," Verena said. Without warning, Mokou found herself pushed against the glass. Despite knowing immediately that resistance was futile, she still tried.

Her struggles were stopped as Verena started to break things. "I want to let you know some basic things if you pursue Kaguya." The maid whispered close to Mokou's ear, words inaudible to anyone else who may have been listening.

"I will let this happen, because I can see that she cares about you as well. But if she makes it clear, even hints vaguely, that she wants you gone, then you will find yourself floating out into deep space, never to be found again." That was not a threat. Mokou could tell.

"If you ever do anything to mentally or emotionally harm her in any serious way, then you shall experience the same fate. If you try anything that she does not allow, then you are gone. From this day forwards, until Kaguya tells me to back down, you are her dog."

"And you will not tell her about this conversation we're having at the moment, will you?" Verena's voice sounded a bit maniacal. Mokou frantically shook her head as much as she could, with Verena's arms still locking around her.

"Good…" The maid's voice was dipping into a very scary territory. "So do not even consider of hurting Kaguya in any way that is not physical. If you do, if you do so, if you even attempt to but decide not to, then you will never be found, and you can enjoy an eternity constantly living and dying, over and over and over again, without your Kaguya…"

Mokou was released. She scrambled to her feet. Verena was in the same place she was before. In the exact same position. Mokou heard footsteps as the aide came to the top of the stairs. "Do either of you need anything?"

Both shook their heads, but after he left, Mokou made sure to move as far away from Verena as possible. She was suddenly very, very scared of Kaguya, and everyone around that girl.

"Well," Kaguya shrugged, "I was only banished for a thousand years, not too bad. And you?"

"Well, I've only grown in popularity I guess," Sanada explained, leaning back against the couch, "I'm one of the chiefs of staff. I'm a well-known name for every Lunarian. I wield more power than most of the others with similar ranks to mine. I suppose that I've continued my legacy, but not nearly as well as you built yours."

"Oh really?" Kaguya wondered.

"You've assembled a team of individuals to do something that is unfathomable to me, all in the space of a few days. You've handled an assassination attempt, and already cowed the Purists into going on the defensive for the first time in a hundred years. Not to mention the way you were back in the day."

"Is there any point to this praise?" Kaguya wondered.

"I just wanted to remind you that I'm not better than you are," Sanada said.

"But make it more subtle," Kaguya said. She grinned victoriously as she continued, "Don't open a conversation with that kind of stuff. Sucking up to someone you want something from is a vital skill, but don't do it blatantly, or they see that you're desperate. Slowly put praise in throughout the conversation, make sure it's all in before you make your request, and then you say it." She raised her finger up, "However, you opened with praise, and even made a whole point of how better I am than you are. That is not being humble. That is being an obvious slave to higher authority."

Sanada was stunned into silence by the verbal assault. Kaguya didn't like him. It was not that she had ever liked him, really. He had been a burden from the beginning, and had been raised mainly by Verena.

"I apologize, mother," But somehow, he had grown up to be more dedicated to his mother than anyone else Kaguya knew. "I was very stupid there. I shall do better next time."

Kaguya said nothing in reply. She just wanted him on her side, for the sake of popularity. "How was the Earth?"

"A better place than everyone says. I know you went there once," Kaguya said, "So don't act like you hate it. I remember that you enjoyed it. Please, Sanada, tell me that you are not like the rest of the fools."

Sanada looked around. Taking a deep breath, he gritted his teeth. _Ahhhh, he's being watched…He's not on their side per se, but Chirain's got him in his pocket. _He relaxed, "I do not particularly enjoy the Earth. Times change, and while it was a more pleasant place when I first went, I now see that it's not as great as some like to think."

"Really?"

"Certainly. The people there are most impure, compared to us. They are stupid creatures. They have some merits, that is certain…but I don't think I want to associate myself with them."

"Do you want them all dead?"

"I'd rather they not bother us," the brown-haired man said, doing his best to remain calm. "And if that is the only way…"

Kaguya nodded. She looked around as well. Slowly mouthing the word, she took a risk, _cameras? _Was what she asked. Sanada shook his head. Kaguya nodded. She spoke louder now, "Whoever is listening, I would prefer that you not. Verena's very good at finding such devices. It'd be a shame if they were connected to a division of the LSDF that should not exist."

She looked at Sanada. Waving her arm, she commanded, "Speak freely,"

The man shook his head, "That was not a good idea,"

"They're off," Kaguya promised, "It would be terrible publicity." A person entered. It was a maid, she bowed to Sanada. "Master, um-well, I lost one of my sets of keys, I think I left it in here."

Sanada nodded, "Find it then," She went to three different places, doing very thorough searches, before she came to the third. Pulling the keys out, she smiled,

"Found them!" She was gone, bowing again as she left.

"See," Kaguya said, "That was no coincidence. I have to say that it was the best covert removal of anything ever, but the times line up nicely. Speak freely, what do you think of the Earth?"

"I…I enjoyed being there. I look at it now, and I see them headed in a good direction. Maybe even better than things were for us, or even are now," he said. But then he shook his head, "Mother…I cannot agree with your view on that place. They're…they're not bad people there…"

Kaguya smiled. It was a victorious, proud one. "But those were lies. I lied to the senate, for the sake of not seeming too radical to them. But I truly loved the Earth…I might even want to go back there when this is all over."

"Truly?"

"Yes," Kaguya said. She sighed, "But you wanted something from me earlier, so get to that point, if you will,"

Sanada didn't. He took a deep breath. And he got a brave look on his face. Kaguya had read that he had an amazing sense of charisma. "Why don't you like me, mother? I was a burden to you once, but why am I still?" That charisma had yet to be seen.

Kaguya was caught off guard by the question. "You can't answer," he said, "You're too wrapped up in the…the little games you play here. You think, no, that's not right. You _are _a mastermind, controlling everyone like puppets, and you let that power twist you! Which is why you sent my father to his death!"

Kaguya nodded. She did not complain. He stood up, approaching her, "Answer me!" he demanded, anger rising.

Kaguya looked down. "My son…I don't know…"

"That's what I thought," Sanada said, nodding, "You just dislike me because you can't let go of some stupid grudge from thousands of years ago!"

Kaguya felt tears in her eyes. "Then why do you love the Earth if you're so high up in the LSDF? Why are you so widely respected if you love that place?!" She stood up, anger driving her son, the "Bravest There Ever Was", back.

"Because I'm being played by them all!" He shouted, "I'm bugged! I gained my position through my prowess, leadership, and charisma. They didn't put me here because I'm a Purist! But they've trapped me…"

"Chirain has arranged me to be married to his daughter, and as it is, I have no freedom over what I say. I say what will support the Purists, or I go down." He lunged forwards. Gripping onto his mother's shoulders, he pushed her back down onto the couch. Frantically looking at her, he said lowly, "There is something wrong here. I beg of you, more than I have ever begged you before, go back to the Earth. Lunarians aren't supposed to act like this. The Last War had more legitimate reasons than the war we are about to begin. It's more than just purity that they're fighting for! If you continue, then they might even start using me against you!"

He was frantic as he looked at her, begging, "Please, go back to the Earth. Take everyone you want with you. I can stop this on my own. I'll fight a damn civil war if that's what it takes to stop this insanity!"

"Such a war would destroy the Lunarian race," Kaguya said coldly, her voice merely stating the facts.

"Take plenty down to the Earth," Sanada said, "You can live on there. Maybe not all of them, but Gensokyo can harbor a few hundred at least."

He was absolutely serious. Kaguya looked down. She thought about her choices. And in an instant, she knew what to do. She stood up, and her hand slapped her son across the face. "No," she declared, "Not at all. This is no reason to run. You are not making me want to run away from this situation!"

"Then what do you want to do?" Sanada asked.

Kaguya sincerely smiled, "I can see that you brought me here to try and convince me to escape the Moon, thinking that there is nothing I can do." She stepped forwards, embracing her son, "But if the Purists are going to be using my son to fight me, then that is only a reason to fight to save him."

Sanada blushed, "Now that's just embarrassing,"

"I will save this Moon," Kaguya promised, "And the Earth. I'll save it all…"

"No one can do that…"

"But you said it earlier, I have a whole team on my side. Can I trust you to be there when the time comes?"

"Certainly," the word came without any hesitation.

Kaguya stepped back. Her son was actually a head taller than her. She looked up at him, "Do answer one thing for me," Kaguya said.

"What?"

"How is the girl, Chirain's daughter?"

"Interesting…" Sanada said, "To say the least. Doesn't necessarily hate the Earth, but she doesn't love it. Sort of neutral. Her father told her to hate it, but ever since we've been forced to spend time together, she's relaxed. She's actually here now, and wanted to see you."

"Is she a good match…?"

"That's the worst part…" Sanada said, "I find myself liking her,"

"But what does Chirain have on you then?"

"She is incredibly loyal to him," Sanada said, "And he probably figured she would like me, and I would like her. He has more control over her than I do, so it wouldn't be hard to take her away from me. She'll keep closer tabs on me, make sure I don't get out of line, and only make it worse for me if I mess up and am publically called out."

"But you like her?"

"Yes, but I'm no political animal."

"Handle the situation, and I'll be the judge of how good she is. If she is, then I suppose she can be exempt from anything I do to her father. She was only influenced by what she learned as a child anyways."

"She did want to meet you, you know?" Sanada asked. Kaguya nodded. Sanada smiled as there was a knock on the door. "Time's up," he said. "Come in!" he called back.

The door opened, and the sweet smiling face that emerged was one Kaguya would learn to find interesting. Long blonde hair flowed down the sides of her head, the bottom of her blue frilled dress swishing along the ground. It wasn't a full-covering gown, with the shoulders and arms exposed.

Sanada raised his eyebrows for a second, before turning around and facing his fiancé. A smile was on his face as he turned. Reaching out towards her, a hand was laid on her shoulder as he turned back. "Mother, meet Meriille."

Kaguya nodded to her, reaching to shake her hand. "Greetings, Ms. Houraisan," she said. Her voice was soft and quiet, but had a hidden strength to it.

"How are you today?" she asked, a gentle smile stretching her cheeks.

"Very well, thank you. And you?" Kaguya asked. She examined the way the girl stood. She let Sanada keep his hand on her shoulder, standing next to her like the faithful husband he really wanted to be. She was a bit shorter than he was, so she was a tiny bit taller than Kaguya, by only a millimeter.

"Very well, same as you," The girl said. She wore a good mask. Kaguya could barely read anything about her. _Makes sense, if her father trained her. He's as good as I am. _

"How are you enjoying your time with my son?" Kaguya asked.

"He's lovely," Meriille said, "But…you don't think so?" She called up the general knowledge that Kaguya and her son were rather estranged.

"You could say that…" Kaguya said, then she smiled at Sanada, "But I think we've reconciled our differences." That made Meriille slip. A frown appeared on her face for only the briefest second. But it was there, and it told Kaguya that Chirain had hoped they would not become good friends.

"Really now?" she asked, "I didn't expect such a thing. Well that's simply lovely!" She declared. "And as for you, how did you enjoy your time in exile?" The question was perhaps a rude one, given the use of 'enjoy', but Kaguya didn't call it out.

"Well…it was the Earth," Kaguya did her best to just shrug, "There's not much to say about it other than that. I was secluded for most of the time, and didn't really bother to associate myself with anyone else besides Eirin."

"Really now?" Meriille's eyebrows went up.

"Yes," Kaguya confirmed, "I didn't really find myself enjoying the Earth very much."

"You didn't sound so critical of it back during your speech," the girl pointed out.

"True, but that was different. The people there are certainly beneath us, in really every way, but I still think that there are some redeeming qualities."

"I imagine those redeeming qualities are what makes you side with those Negotiators?" Meriille asked. Kaguya understood what this was now. _He's trying to see my motives. If he can pinpoint them exactly, then he can try and steer me from this path. _She figured that Meriille was nothing more than a puppet of her father, given that the way she acted was fairly expected.

"Not entirely. I would argue that we aren't living up to our standards of purity with all this talk of destroying the Earth," Kaguya explained.

"Do explain," Meriille suggested.

"Well, let's say that I decided that I was better than you are, without even talking to you to find out if that's really true, and then killed you for it? Do you think that would be pure?" Meriille was caught off guard by the analogy.

_Two routes, _Kaguya thought, _talk about how since we are of the same race, it's different, or back down. _"You're correct," Meriille said, "But the Earth is more than just someone we haven't talked to in a long time. Last time I checked, we were invaded three times by them."

"Two of those were not even serious invasions," Kaguya pointed out, "Let's say that you slapped me once, then poked me. My response was killing you, and wiping all trace of you from the universe. Do you think that would be pure?"

Meriille smiled, "You're right," she said. "Perhaps we are just fools?" Kaguya would have smiled if it would have not betrayed her satisfaction at the moment.

_She's admitting defeat…backing down. What is Chirain really after? Does he even have control of her? _Kaguya nodded. "Well," she said, "I hope you enjoy your time with my son, do be a good girl for him."

"I promise," Meriille said, but her sudden continuation of her words surprised Kaguya, "But should I not point out that your son is a staunch supporter of us Purists?"

"Sure, but you are too, correct?" Meriille affirmed this. "Well, we managed to get along. Perhaps our differences have allowed us to talk better."

Meriille did nothing. _An attempt to gauge what side Sanada is really on. But with that answer, she can only hypothesize. Sanada won't be touched for now. _"I should be going. I have a very busy schedule."

"Yes, there is that senate meeting tonight, correct?" the wife-to-be of her son wondered.

"Of course," Sanada said, responding to his mother rather than his fiancé. "Come along mother, I shall escort you back." He quickly led the woman to the door. As it was opened before her, Kaguya stole one last glance back at Meriille. She wasn't paying attention to those who were exiting.

She looked perturbed, deep in thought. As the door shut, Kaguya checked for anyone else in the halls. Whispering close to her son, she said, "She's smart. Watch out for her. Chirain hasn't given her the full picture. She thinks that you're really on my side, while Chirain thinks you're neutral. He is trying to find out more about me. Give her what you can, but don't spoil too much. Maintain good relations with her, please. You must do that. She's intelligent, and the link back to her father is a good one."

"You want me to try to get something from her?"

"If you can without exposing anything, then yes. Otherwise, try to not take any risks like that." Kaguya sighed, "Is there any place we can get her alone here?" She wondered.

"Why?" Sanada was wary.

"Give Verena, Mokou and I a few hours with her and she'll give us everything we need. Her memory can be wiped afterwards." Kaguya explained. They were walking down the stairs now. The first thing she noticed was Mokou's distance from Verena.

_Oh by the gods, what did Verena do to her? _"Not an option," Sanada immediately said, "I told you, I like her. I'm not really alright with letting my mother, her maid, and some random person who I don't know torture her…" He spoke in a hushed whisper, but Verena could hear.

She chuckled at the hushed statement. Mokou turned around to look at Kaguya and her son. "That's a she…" Sanada said softly, commenting on Mokou. Verena laughed louder. Kaguya did the same, but Mokou did not hear.

"Yes, that's a she," Kaguya muttered.

"Looked like a man from behind. The suit." He explained.

"The hair?" They were at the bottom of the stairs, waiting there talking. Mokou had taken an interest and was approaching the two.

"Plenty of men have that length around here," Sanada justified, "Even Chirain had such a length for a time."

"True," Kaguya said, but then separated herself from the man and stepped towards Mokou.

"So is this?" he asked. He frowned for a second. Words slipped from his lips. "Doesn't look Lunarian…mother…." The last word had an accusatory tone.

"What gave it away?" Kaguya asked. The two were still speaking Lunarian, and in a much more personal form than Mokou knew. She knew a little of the most formal sort of Lunarian, suitable for high-ranking members of society, but this was very personal.

Sanada spoke in a different language now. "You have no idea what we're saying, do you?" He asked.

Mokou was caught off guard. She looked at Kaguya. "He's my son," Kaguya said, "Just talk to him." The immortal looked around, scared of anyone who might be listening.

"No one is," Verena sat idly on the couch, looking rather bored.

Mokou glared at her, but a simple tilt of the maid's head towards her stopped her complaint in its tracks. "I apologize, I do not," She addressed Sanada as formally as was possible.

"No issue," Sanada said, "I can't blame humans for not being able to grasp Lunarian." He looked at his mother, "So you brought a human up here."

Mokou's draw dropped, but in the end she just relaxed as a sight escaped from her open mouth. She just didn't see why it was necessary for Kaguya to fire a beam of light through her stomach. The immortal clutched at the wound at first, but then shook her head as she dropped to one knee.

The beam had dissipated after hitting its target, and had done nothing else. Sanada was alarmed for a moment, but then noticed how calmly Mokou was acting. "There's another one?" he asked.

"Long story," grunted Mokou, slowly standing up as the wound healed.

"Really now," Sanada looked at Kaguya. She choose to spoke in Lunarian as he said, "You needed love that bad? I knew you were volatile when you got rid of father, but this is a bit needy."

Kaguya glared at him with enough force to back him away several steps. He nearly tripped over himself as he hit the steps. "It's a long story, like she said. I'll tell you one day. Just don't tell anyone else who she really is, please?" Sanada nodded.

Verena could see the conversation was about over. She stood up, walking for the door. Kaguya followed her, dragging Mokou by her hair. Sanada watched the three women exit. Someone stepped down the stairs from him. He whipped around.

It was Meriille. "Interesting story…" she whispered, "Very interesting."

* * *

The shuttle door opened. Nariari was leaning against Karisso, basically sleeping against his side. Kaguya was the first to sit, followed by Mokou. Verena was last. Karisso activated the shuttle, and it was lifting off.

Mokou was taking deep breaths. She seemed rather disturbed, despite the lack of seriousness as they exited. "Still on that whole issue?" Kaguya asked. Mokou knew what she was referring to.

"Yes," The whisper was barely heard by Kaguya.

"Get off of it," Kaguya ordered. She noticed that didn't really work. She reached out to Mokou, "Cut it out," she ordered.

Mokou looked at the hand, and did nothing in reply but look away. That's when Kaguya grabbed out. Her fingers wrapped around Mokou's hair and tossed her across the room, given that she was unstrapped.

As everyone was roused by the incident, Kaguya only glared at Mokou. "Think about the things I've done to you. I have done things I'm not proud of, but that man who I did that to was no innocent either." She had tears in her eyes.

As Mokou sorted herself out, pulling herself straight across from Kaguya, she saw those tears. "Did you kill him?" She asked, "Or are you…are you sad?"

"It was a political marriage, you know? But I respected that man more than many others, because he could deal with me." Kaguya said.

"You didn't kill him," Mokou said.

"I killed him," Kaguya said, "Even made sure he died out there."

"No you didn't!" Mokou shouted. Nariari was awake. Verena was silent. Karisso was rather concerned. His master was similarly disturbed, but both knew to stay silent.

The white-haired immortal got to her feet, anger on her face. "You didn't kill him! What happened to him?"

"I hated him, he hated me!" Kaguya screamed. Her voice calmed, but dropped into a tone heavy with ice. "Fine, I did not actually murder him myself, but he's gone from this world for good, I assure you that much."

Mokou reached out for Kaguya. The girl shook her head, closing her eyes as she leaned back. The other immortal was left standing in the middle of the craft, awkwardly reaching out to someone who was in the middle of rejecting her.

"Go away," Kaguya ordered.

Mokou had nowhere to go. So she just sat down next to Kaguya. She was about three feet from the girl, but her gaze was focused on her. "I don't like seeing you sad," Mokou insisted, "It's not like you."

Secretly, Kaguya smiled inside. She would never show Mokou though. Mokou hated her. That was just a fact of her life.

* * *

Caohime had spent several long nights with two people whom she had gotten to know very well. Yukiko, formerly of the LSDF, and Nalini, a former writer. It wasn't hard for anyone to realize that Yui had handpicked the team for Kaguya.

And despite the implications uncovered by Nariari that the princess had even had a hand in their loss of their previous positions, Caohime did not deny that they were incredibly useful.

She was close to falling asleep at the moment. Leaning down on her desk her eyes were closed as she flickered in and out of consciousness. Screens with the scripts for various senate bills and military decisions were around her, while Nalini's own texts on law were near her. That girl was already asleep.

Yukiko was awake, but Caohime was fairly certain the girl was hardier than anyone else. Caohime had also been doing much of the heavy lifting for the project. But also sitting in front of her was effectively the final script for the bill that they had put together in less than three days.

Yukiko stood up. "Perhaps you should be going to bed," she said to the noble. Caohime nodded. She wasn't going to be stubborn about the issue. She was helped by the blue-haired maid. They were of roughly equal height. "Get Nalini to her room first, she needs the rest more than I. I can organize things here for a moment."

"Understood," Yukiko helped the girl up, slightly rousing her as she did so. Caohime got to what she said she would do. All she really wanted to do was save all the documents she had open, and shut down the various computers populating her desk. Putting the books and papers into piles came next.

Once everything was organized, Caohime took a second to gaze around the room. It was devoid of any decorations. She figured that it would be a good idea to personalize the place, but she also wondered if she really should. _I am just Kaguya's little dog after all, _the annoyance at that fact tired her out even more, but she also questioned it.

_I was stuck in this room for three days straight…but I did sign up for this. It was fun…and maybe, just maybe, this can win us something big. _The door opened. Caohime had been lost in her deliberation, not realizing that ten minutes had passed.

The maid looked at her. "Ma'am," she called softly, "Are you ready?"

"Certainly," Caohime said. She approached her. She stumbled a bit as she approached, but she was caught by the maid. They looked into each other's faces for a moment, before Yukiko kept moving, bringing Caohime along with her.

The journey through the mansion to Caohime's room took some time, given the tiredness of that senator. Her room was a copy of Salathiel's as neither had taken the time to make any changes to the standard format.

Yukiko helped the senator towards her bedroom, but Caohime held up a hand before she was helped into bed. "Not yet," she said. She managed to summon the strength in her tired bones to walk towards the balcony alone. Yukiko was unsure for a moment, then followed.

She found the general of the LSDF standing outside on the balcony. Her gaze was cast up towards the Earth, and Yukiko found herself feeling confusion as she saw the conflicting emotions in Caohime's face.

"Ma'am?" she asked.

"Do you think I'm just Kaguya's pet? To be played with as she wants? Are we all are?" The words were quiet. Yukiko was disturbed.

"Technically, I am at least. I am her maid after all. I cannot speak for you entirely, but technically you have more than she does. You can overpower her at any time." Yukiko had her hands clasped in front of her waist, and stood straight. Her tone was of the utmost politeness.

Caohime shook her head. "I know, I just…I'm just paranoid."

"I believe that you are simply tired ma'am," Yukiko offered, "So perhaps you ought to get some rest." She gestured to the bed inside. Caohime shook her head.

"I can't do that," she said, "I need some time to think."

"Ma'am, is there something else wrong? This is rather sudden, and somewhat unexpected, given the strength you've been showing up till now…"

"You know why I lost my position?" Caohime asked, "I used to be a general, you know?"

This somehow hit a sore spot for Yukiko. "Yes," she said, "I do know."

"Then tell me about it,"

"You were found to be consorting with the Negotiators, and things from Earth were even found in your office. Chirain used his power as Supreme Commander to discharge you, but I imagine that wasn't what really happened?"

Caohime shook her head, "It was. Those things were planted there by Chirain, but they were there. He used his power to discharge me, saying I was a traitor. I was betrayed by those around me. I actually used to trust that man. I can't say why he did it, only that at the same time, a different, higher-ranking general was kicked out. From what I understand, that man was a volatile Negotiator. He's nothing now…but I did nothing wrong…"

"They were cleaning house," Yukiko said, "Just like Kaguya is doing. But covering their tracks while doing it."

The senator nodded. "Chirain set me up with a government position, and some comrades who felt sorry for me helped me along the way, but I fought my way to this spot as a senator…and here I am, underneath somebody who will throw me away when I'm no longer useful to her."

She took deep, stuttering breathes, only punctuated by the sobs coming from the back of her throat. "Forgive me if I sound rather foolish, but I feel that I have every reason to be scared at the moment…"

Yukiko nodded, "Why were you discharged?" Caohime asked.

"I really did support the Negotiators. My commander noticed, and I was sent out. I hid my support fairly well. No items or anything. I didn't talk about it. Something must have tipped her off…"

"It was Yui…" The senator's words were almost lost amongst the myriad sounds at the moment, but Yukiko could hear them.

"What did she do?"

"She most likely planned on assembling this team to assist Kaguya for some time. You were discharged two months ago, back when she was still planning to bring Kaguya up here. She wanted to put together a group to assist her…"

Yukiko shrugged, "So?"

"You feel no anger that you lost your position?"

"I was able to come here and help out. I've done more in the past few days assisting you than I did for a long time in the LSDF." Caohime smiled a little.

"Thank you." Yukiko smiled back at the words.

"Should you get to bed?" the maid wondered.

"At this point, yes," Caohime said.

Yukiko opened the doors back inside. The trip back in was short. Caohime undressed, getting into her nightgown as Yukiko averted her eyes. The process was slow, to the point where Caohime wondered if it was intentionally slow.

The senator slipped into the bed, Yukiko covering her with the sheets. "Goodnight ma'am," she said with a final bow of her head.

"Goodnight," Caohime called as the maid exited the room. And while she had remained strong for the sake of the servant, the senator now let her tears properly flow loose.

It would be hours before she found sleep.

* * *

A pair of feet, tired and slow in their steps, trudged their way through a serene, otherwise silent, wood. The sound generated was light, but perhaps generated more by the unsteady, even lazy, gait of the one making the sounds.

The black armor gave away the position of the figure in the forest of greens and browns, but she hoped that anyone who found her at this point was friendly. A branch protruded up a bit more than it seemed to. The figure fell over.

Reisen had traveled a very long way in a short amount of time. And while her endurance training should have carried her the whole way, it did not. She was losing control of herself. Her body was shaking. Her breaths were fast, and quick.

Quaking hands had already slipped her helmet off her head. She was even more easily recognizable. If she was seen from the air…then it was over. She almost wanted…wanted to…_why don't I? _She went to her belt. Her right hand, that is. Her left hand clamped onto that hand, trying to stop it from making a mistake she would regret.

The rabbit suddenly heard sounds. Practically inaudible, but she knew the sound of rabbits sneaking through a wood. Her right hand went to something else. She started whispering words into her suit. They meant nothing. They were just sounds. Her fingers tapped certain places all over the suit.

It wasn't long before the touch sequence for the self-elimination procedure was activated. She had but one more sound to say. Her own name. Black Ops personnel didn't have names. If self-destruct was absolutely necessary, the barriers in their mind would break and release their original name.

Reisen…_is that it…_She couldn't think of it. Then she saw someone approach. Another lunar rabbit. A gun was raised at her. There were others. _Reisen_. She was about to speak the word.

"I'm not sure what you're doing, Miss Reisen, but I get the feeling we'll all regret it," the lead rabbit spoke. Reisen's eyes focused on her. The leading rabbit ordered for the others to stand down, "It's just as Miss Houraisan predicted, we'll calm her down, and take her back…"

"Miss Houraisan!" Reisen's eyes lit up with a bright light. She reexamined the figure in front of her. The self-destruct sequence was on. Simply initiating it with the first sound sequence would begin it, in case the one doing it died before it could be fully activated. There was no way to reverse it.

Reisen panicked. Trying to strip the suit off, she moved quickly. Trained hands worked to take every piece of it off, but she found that it was all stuck to her. Armor automatically locked once the sequence started, to prevent the occupant from escaping. It was impossible for most rabbits to remember the first sequence unless they recognized the situation as impossible to escape from.

And Reisen's rather broken mind failed her. "Get away," she quickly said. But the lead rabbit tackled her down. She held something to the center of the armor. The sequence deactivated. The others quickly removed the pieces.

"That's armor from AC 3678," the rabbit said, "We've cracked that already,"

As Reisen was helped to her feet, she nodded, "Thank you so much." She was still shaking, and she realized her power was going off. Covering her eyes, she was helped forwards.

"It's alright, we just won't look at you," the leader said.

Reisen took her hands away, and was offered a hand by the leader. Shaking it firmly, the girl said, "Minato, head of Princess Kagome's defenses. Ms. Houraisan expected you'd be coming once Ms. Fujiwara arrived."

The purple-haired rabbit replied, "Reisen Udongein Inaba,"

Minato smiled. Reisen realized this girl was the first Lunar Rabbit she'd seen in a long time. And she already took a liking to her.

"Thank you, again,"

"No trouble," Minato replied. "Welcome home, Ms. Reisen,"

* * *

Sanada looked at the woman coming down the stairs with eyebrows raised. Her slow descent was punctuated by the clacking of her heels on the hard surface. Hand slowly sliding down the rail as a knowing smile came onto her face.

"She really does believe you, doesn't she?" Meriille asked.

"She trusts me," Sanada nodded.

"I already pointed out that's a bit strange," the woman replied, stepping close to him, so that the man could feel her breath on his face.

"Indeed," Sanada said, "She hasn't liked me for a long time, hard to imagine that she legitimately reconsidered."

"You're being played," Meriille said quietly, as if Kaguya herself was still listening, "But I can see that you understand that well."

"She has that friend from the Earth…" Sanada muttered, "I wonder what she'll do with her, especially since it's an immortal."

"Should we tell the Supreme Commander?" Meriille wondered, "He's expecting something from today."

"We've not much to give him," Sanada said, "We can say that Kaguya trusts us, but otherwise, not much new information was revealed. We can't even go ahead with information about this girl. Kaguya thinks we were all alone there, so if we tell anything to Chirain and he acts on it before Kaguya reveals the Earthling's presence, Kaguya will know I'm not to be trusted."

"True," Meriille said, "But I'd rather that the _Supreme Commander,_" The word was strangely stressed, as if she had an issue with Sanada's first name basis with the man. "Simply know. We can warn him to not act on it."

"I suppose," Sanada conceded, then warned, "But still, Kaguya has many ways of knowing things. We can't tell how far her influence has extended…"

"You're a bit paranoid, my dear," Meriille said, a hand going to Sanada's cheek. "Perhaps you ought to let me handle things for a while."

"And what would that do?" he asked, "I still have duties."

"True," Meriille pressed herself close to him, another arm wrapping about his body, "But we all need to relax once in a while?"

Sanada winced briefly at her words. Something about what he was doing felt wrong. _She's a good person…and here I am ready to betray her_. A smile came to his face, "I suppose you're correct. Let me finish things up."

He blinked once, hoping that Meriille, as she released him and stepped quickly back up the stairs, wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

The soft ringing filled the otherwise silent space. For but a second, it went on, the cheery tune that added a bit of lightness to the room otherwise devoid of any brightness. "What do you want?" the cold voice answered. It already knew who called.

"Ms. Kishin," the voice on the other end spoke, a bit unsettled already, "I was wondering where you lie on all of this."

The silver-haired girl was silent. She shifted in her seat, her mouth sealed. She seemed resolute in her decision to speak no more. "So you're going to stay neutral. For the time being, at least?" the man asked.

Once again, he was only greeted by silence. "Chirain, we've already established my position so I assume you're asking about Kaguya?"

"Yes," the man confirmed.

Sagume grinned, "Well, she's certainly an interesting case, but I want to know, what's your plan with her?"

"I'll reveal that when I get confirmation," Chirain said.

Sagume bit her tongue, about to say something she'd regret. "How about you think about the chance of the direct statement from me?" she asked in reply.

"Fine…then this call didn't occur." The supreme commander hung up. The silver-haired girl only laughed. She raised her hand, snapping her fingers. Her other hand was quickly writing a few words on a notebook beside her.

Holding it up to the one who approached, she received a quick salute. "It shall be done immediately, ma'am," the reply came.

"And the amanojaku, in Gensokyo?" Sagume asked.

"Still alive at this point, would you like to take action?"

Sagume shook her head. "And the human girl?"

"Keeping tabs on her. We think she might be accessing Gensokyo in her dreams, but we can't confirm or deny anything without anyone on the ground."

"Can we get into contact with her?" the woman wondered, idly staring forwards, other thoughts filling her head.

"That's certainly possible. The Orbs are still on the Earth. We should be able to reactivate them, and facilitate a stealthy descent, without anyone else noticing. At least here."

"The denizens and protectors of Gensokyo shall notice our arrival." Sagume said, standing up. She grinned. "How soon can we leave?"

* * *

A cold wind swept through the night. The leaves held firm, the season turning into summer. Their sturdiness would last for a few months more. Yet it was a dry period, and a distinct lack of moisture in the air led to the nights getting cold.

As much as Gensokyo was a paradise of sorts, a natural weather system was needed to maintain basic functions of life. The Moon was just beginning to peak out in the sky once again, amidst the scattered banks of clouds. Its light wasn't too bright yet, so under the thick covering of the forest, it was pitch black.

There was a soft thump, a book shutting quickly. Not urgently or forcefully, but somebody wanting to distract themselves from it. Eyes were cast away from that book. Fingers slowly moved, acting as if invisible strings were wound around them. A cold glare was on her face as the door was opened.

A gust of air was all that met Alice as she slowly opened the door. Yet the feeling she'd gotten hadn't gone away. Somebody was there.

A figure appeared at the edge of the tree line. Alice merely tensed up, not jumping in fear or crying out. She slowly raised her arms as she recognized the figure. In an instant, the door was shut once again. But an instant later, knuckles softly rapped against it.

Alice clenched her teeth tightly. "What do you want?" she asked.

"Ah, Ms. Margotroid," the maid's voice was heavy with sarcasm, "I would like to ask for your assistance."

"As if I'd help you," Alice shot back. "Get away."

"Sorry for scaring you, but this request comes from my milady, it's not of my own creation." _Well, at least she was serious for two thirds of that. _Alice thought.

"Fine, but can't you come during the day." Before anything could be said in reply, Alice sharply cut in, "Or is there something I should be knowing beforehand?"

"It's not necessarily bad, but it might cause trouble," Sakuya explained.

"With _whom_?" the doll-maker demanded.

"Ms. Yakumo, Ms. Yagokoro, and the Moriyas. Perhaps more, based on who ultimately gets involved."

"Are you trying to start something?" Alice asked.

"Merely defending ourselves," Sakuya said, "Besides, don't you get bored out here, alone all the time?"

"If people actually left me alone, then I might have a chance. As things are, I think I'm busier more than I'm alone," Alice growled. Then she shook her head. "Fine, let's see what you want. Though I won't guarantee I'll give you anything."

Against her better judgment, and for the sake of the curiosity that came with being a magician, Alice opened that door.

* * *

Reisen's breath had been taken away when she stepped into Kaguya's quarters. For some reason, it reminded her of something she'd done. She could not remember what that thing was, but the vague image was gone.

"Miss Reisen, correct?" A girl approached her, raven hair framing her dark skin. She was dressed in the uniform of a maid, the color and heraldry indicating she was one of Yui's. But her presence here suggested that she was working for Kaguya at the moment.

Minato was right behind Reisen, the purple-haired rabbit dressed in her normal schoolgirl outfit. "She'll be staying here," Minato explained, "Find a room for her. Settle her down." She handed a small bottle of pills to Sabina, "Make sure she takes one of these every six hours. And keep a close eye on her."

"And if she doesn't?" Sabina asked, "Just so I know what to do in case?"

"Then have fun explaining to Eirin Yagokoro why she needs to come up here," Minato said, and left things at that. Sabina asked nothing more, and hastily led Reisen away.

Minato watched the girl go, then turned around and exited the room.

Kaguya moved like a crazed ghost through the halls of the mansion. Her light footsteps and speed made it seem like she was just floating on air, but her speed was enough to disrupt the rest of her. Verena didn't bother to run after her, simply walking at a brisk pace, slightly faster than the second immortal.

Mokou was in the back, still disgruntled from pervious events. She had no idea what was causing Kaguya to move so quickly. The immortal had been tuning things out. So far, she had just realized that she and Kaguya were still enemies, followed Kaguya around, been threatened by her seemingly-crazy maid, and then followed Kaguya around some more.

She wasn't enjoying her time on the Moon, but she could only hope that at some point she would be able to assist Kaguya. In a meaningful way, rather than just being some punching bag for her to take her emotions out on.

She hastily caught up as the former princess and her maid entered through the large doors to Kaguya's quarters. Mokou saw the dark-haired woman hastily running her way up the stairs, nearly falling over, such was the pace she moved at. Sighing heavily, Mokou followed.

"I believe Ms. Reisen is what attracts Ms. Houraisan at the moment," explained one of the girls, a maid Mokou knew as Janessa. Mokou's gasped, and quickly followed.

She caught the briefest glimpse of Verena tailing the princess into a room. Mokou followed. Laying on the bed was a rabbit, covered in blankets and sheets. A tired look on her face was replaced by one of happiness as she noticed Kaguya enter the room.

"Hello," the immortal said, a bright smile on her face, "How are you?"

"Perfectly well," Reisen replied, but her current state suggested otherwise. "I apologize for being so late, princess,"

Mokou walked up behind Verena, being sure to not get to close to the maid. "There's no need to feel ashamed," Kaguya said, "It was incredibly brave of you to come up here anyways. Thank you."

"I am only doing my duty, princess," Reisen muttered, her voice low amidst her lack of energy. "I shall do whatever I can for you."

"I already have something thought up," Kaguya said, "But that can wait for a time. Get some rest for the moment. Thank you."

"Thank you," Reisen said, "And you're welcome to ask me anything."

Kaguya turned around, her smile instantly disappearing as she found Mokou. She walked forwards. A single nod of her head had Verena turn around. Mokou felt the maid's fingers wrap around her shoulder.

Mokou was marched out of the room, the door shut behind her.

* * *

The door to Kaguya's room was opened. Mokou was roughly thrown onto the ground. Verena shut the door as her master entered. It was only Kaguya and Mokou. Before Mokou could get up, a foot struck under her chin.

Falling onto her back, she looked up as Kaguya stepped on her face. Multiple kicks to the same location followed, before Kaguya took a deep breath. Mokou was jumping up, ready to retaliate, but she had no time before Kaguya started speaking.

It took her off guard, expecting another range of strikes. "I've not the will to fight you at the moment, Mokou. I know that you're untrustworthy of me, but that cannot continue as it is. You either need to accept me for who I truly am, or you need to get out of my life."

Mokou shook her head, "You're not some manipulative murderer!" Mokou cried, "You're just reclusive, kindhearted, a little silly at times…" she shuddered, "This isn't you…"

"But it is!" Kaguya insisted, "This has always been me. It just wasn't useful on the Earth, so I changed. But I'm back here now, and I can't be some naïve little girl anymore."

"So you really are just a different person…" Mokou nodded, "I was foolish to think differently…"

"Why did you think differently…?" Kaguya was afraid to ask the question. "My treatment of the suitors betrayed this side of me from the very start. So what changed…?"

Mokou's jaw dropped as she realized her mistakes. "Well…I've always hated you, but you see…I hate you!" The three words were not that convincing. Kaguya would have laughed if she wasn't just as shocked as Mokou was.

"I don't want to believe this," Kaguya said with a shake of her head, "You…we can't…"

"I know," Mokou said. She strode past Kaguya and exited the room. She did not know where she was going, but she knew that anywhere where Kaguya wasn't would be suitable.

* * *

**I've been really shafting this fic as of late in favor of the other one I'm running, and that makes me disappointed with myself. I want to keep up a normal schedule for this, but I also don't want it to get bad. Luckily, the other thing I'm doing will be finishing up in roughly three or four weeks(hopefully), so I'll have a good few months to devote all my attention to this, especially to the revision of previous chapters.**


	18. Someones Loses Their Head

Caohime had spent several long nights with two people whom she had gotten to know very well. Yukiko, formerly of the LSDF, and Nalini, a former writer. It wasn't hard for her to realize that Yui had handpicked the team for Kaguya.

And despite the implications uncovered by Nariari that the princess had even had a hand in their loss of their previous positions, Caohime did not deny that they were incredibly useful.

She was close to falling asleep at the moment. Leaning down on her desk her eyes were closed as she flickered in and out of consciousness. Screens with the scripts for various senate bills and military decisions were around her, while Nalini's won texts on law were near her. That girl was already asleep.

Yukiko was awake, but Caohime was fairly certain the girl was hardier than anyone else. Caohime had also been doing much of the heavy lifting for the project. But also sitting in front of her was effectively the final script for the bill that they had put together in less than three days.

Yukiko stood up. "Perhaps you should be going to bed," she said to the noble. Caohime nodded. She wasn't going to be stubborn about the issue. She was helped by the blue-haired maid. They were of roughly equal height. "Get Nalini to her room first, she needs the rest more than I. I can organize things here for a moment."

"Understood," Yukiko helped the girl up, slightly rousing her as she did so. Caohime got to what she said she would do. All she really wanted to do was save all the documents she had open, and shut down the various computers populating her desk. Putting the books and papers into piles came next.

Once everything was organized, Caohime took a second to gaze around the room. It was devoid of any decorations. She figured that it would be a good idea to personalize the place, but she also wondered if she really should. _I am just Kaguya's little dog after all, _the annoyance at that fact tired her out even more, but she also questioned it.

_I was stuck in this room for three days straight…but I did sign up for this. It was fun…and maybe, just maybe, this can win us something big. _The door opened. Caohime had been lost in her deliberation, not realizing that ten minutes had passed.

The maid looked at her. "Ma'am," she called softly, "Are you ready?"

"Certainly," Caohime said. She approached her. She stumbled a bit as she approached, but she was caught by the maid. They looked into each other's faces for a moment, before Yukiko kept moving, bringing Caohime along with her.

The journey through the mansion to Caohime's room took some time, given the tiredness of that senator. Her room was a copy of Salathiel's as neither had taken the time to make any changes to the standard format.

Yukiko helped the senator towards her bedroom, but Caohime held up a hand before she was helped into bed. "Not yet," she said. She managed to summon the strength in her tired bones to walk towards the balcony alone. Yukiko was unsure for a moment, then followed.

She found the general of the LSDF standing outside on the balcony. Her gaze was cast up towards the Earth, and Yukiko found herself feeling confusion as she saw the conflicting emotions in Caohime's face.

"Ma'am?" she asked.

"Do you think I'm just Kaguya's pet? To be played with as she wants? Are we all are?" The words were quiet. Yukiko was disturbed.

"Technically, I am at least. I am her maid after all. I cannot speak for you entirely, but technically you have more than she does. You can overpower her at any time." Yukiko had her hands clasped in front of her waist, and stood straight. Her tone was of the utmost politeness.

Caohime shook her head. "I know, I just…I'm just paranoid."

"I believe that you are simply tired ma'am," Yukiko offered, "So perhaps you ought to get some rest." She gestured to the bed inside. Caohime shook her head.

"I can't do that," she said, "I need some time to think."

"Ma'am, is there something else wrong? This is rather sudden, and somewhat unexpected, given the strength you've been showing up till now…"

"You know why I lost my position?" Caohime asked, "I used to be a general, you know?"

This somehow hit a sore spot for Yukiko. "Yes," she said, "I do know."

"Then tell me about it,"

"You were found to be consorting with the Negotiators, and things from Earth were even found in your office. Chirain used his power as Supreme Commander to discharge you, but I imagine that wasn't what really happened?"

Caohime shook her head, "It was. Those things were planted there by Chirain, but they were there. He used his power to discharge me, saying I was a traitor. I was betrayed by those around me. I actually used to trust that man. I can't say why he did it, only that at the same time, a different, higher-ranking general was kicked out. From what I understand, that man was a volatile Negotiator. He's nothing now…but I did nothing wrong…"

"They were cleaning house," Yukiko said, "Just like Kaguya is doing. But covering their tracks while doing it."

The senator nodded. "Chirain set me up with a government position, and some comrades who felt sorry for me helped me along the way, but I fought my way to this spot as a senator…and here I am, underneath somebody who will throw me away when I'm no longer useful to her."

She took deep, stuttering breathes, only punctuated by the sobs coming from the back of her throat. "Forgive me if I sound rather foolish, but I feel that I have every reason to be scared at the moment…"

Yukiko nodded, "Why were you discharged?" Caohime asked.

"I really did support the Negotiators. My commander noticed, and I was sent out. I hid my support fairly well. No items or anything. I didn't talk about it. Something must have tipped her off…"

"It was Yui…" The senator's words were almost lost amongst the myriad sounds at the moment, but Yukiko could hear them.

"What did she do?"

"She most likely planned on assembling this team to assist Kaguya for some time. You were discharged two months ago, back when she was still planning to bring Kaguya up here. She wanted to put together a group to assist her…"

Yukiko shrugged, "So?"

"You feel no anger that you lost your position?"

"I was able to come here and help out. I've done more in the past few days assisting you than I did for a long time in the LSDF." Caohime smiled a little.

"Thank you." Yukiko smiled back at the words.

"Should you get to bed?" the maid wondered.

"At this point, yes," Caohime said.

Yukiko opened the doors back inside. The trip back in was short. Caohime undressed, getting into her nightgown as Yukiko averted her eyes. The process was slow, to the point where Caohime wondered if it was intentionally slow.

The senator slipped into the bed, Yukiko covering her with the sheets. "Goodnight ma'am," she said with a final bow of her head.

"Goodnight," Caohime called as the maid exited the room. And while she had remained strong for the sake of the servant, the senator now let her tears properly flow loose.

It would be hours before she found sleep.

* * *

"You're certain?" Kaguya asked. Mokou was at the back of the room. Dinner had just been served, and it was not long before Kaguya planned to leave for the senate.

Reisen was the target of her question. "I am certain," she said, still in her bed, "I still have some of Eirin's left. Give me a few days of rest afterwards, and I should deal with this. Especially since I'm…you know…" She trailed off.

Mokou cursed at this. She had no idea _what _Reisen was being asked to do. She just hoped that it wasn't something that would kill the rabbit.

"You can greet people properly, correct?" Kaguya asked, "And you know how to pronounce Lunarian when rendered done into a more understandable text?"

"Yes, and to a extent," Mokou said.

"Good," Kaguya said, "You're with me at the senate tonight. I have a bill I'm presenting, you're going to present it."

"I don't know Lunarian to that extent!" Mokou cried, "What am I going to do?!"

"Read the first few words, that's all we need."

"Why?!"

"You'll be interrupted." Something about Kaguya's tone told Mokou that she was not bluffing or lying. And it only made Mokou afraid of what was going to happen to her at this meeting.

* * *

Salathiel leaned back in the chair. A half-eaten plate of food sat in front of him. Chie was on the other side of the table. They were finally finished with something, for once. Azazir was gone, and those others that had to leave were also out. Salathiel had managed to finish it up smoothly.

"Do we have anything else?" Salathiel questioned the rabbit, stretching his arms out behind himself as he stared up at the ceiling. "Or is Kaguya going to give me a break?"

"That women certainly is…" Salathiel sighed.

"But who is not going to give me a break?"

"Take a guess…"

"What does she want? I'm not going out with her again, I made very clear that time that it was no date, and that's she not going to start courting me or anything like that."

"Too bad," Chie said, "Received a message earlier today from one of her servants. She wants to speak with you tonight. After the senate meeting."

"Fine," Salathiel said, "But try to invent some occupation afterwards. Like we have something else to do or something. Please."

Chie didn't reply. _So she's going to make me do it…_he thought, inwardly sighing.

Kaguya once again found herself looking out at the entirety of the Lunarian Senate. And once again, she was in the seat for Salathiel. Her maids were not all with her this time, only Verena.

The session had yet to begin, but Kaguya had arrived about ten minutes early. She had made her own way to the building, hoping to figure out what might be going on. Verena wasn't actually with her at the moment. Salathiel and his rabbit were, but the maid was elsewhere.

There was another reason that she had gotten there early. To avoid any press that might arise from Mokou's arrival. The girl was seating in the rearmost seat in the box.

With ten minutes left before the meeting officially began, Verena returned. She walked close to Kaguya, who stood facing the rest of the senate. The maid stood close behind her master, and whispered softly. "As you said, the Head Senator's aide spoke. Apparently, this session will be opened up to questioning of you. Effectively everything is going to be allowed. They don't expect strong resistance from you. After that, time for presentation of anything new will be given, and if there's nothing, then it's over."

"So we announce the bill tonight," Kaguya said. "We show it to the House tomorrow, and not release it to the senate until two nights from now, when they see it."

"Are you sure exposing it now is wise?"

"Yes," Kaguya confirmed, "Mokou and Reisen's arrivals messed things up. We now have more to work with, but we have to mess around with the schedule a bit. This is risky, what we're doing now, but it will hopefully pay off."

Verena nodded, stepping away. Minutes passed. Senators filed into the room. Kaguya watched them all come in, one by one. She knew that the questions she was about to face were not the kind that some reporters might ask on the spot. They were carefully calculated blows that had been planned for the past few days.

And if Kaguya made one mistake, then it was all over for her good reputation. She didn't need to rehearse her answers. She knew what she was doing. The Head Senator called them all to order.

"Welcome to this meeting of the Senate." He called out. "This was more planned for, but I believe we are all still reeling in the wake of previous events. Given that the last meeting ended rather abruptly, the floor is now open for questioning of Miss Kaguya Houraisan. Once everyone who has a question asks it, I will close this segment, and move onto a more regular part of the meeting. We go by rank, bottom to top."

The first few questions were easily deflected. All came from Purists, and were really just meant to settle Kaguya into a sense of security. She knew that, despite not really knowing it. But as she moved down, one question did hit hard. "Recently Alzazir Koachikoi was ejected from the Negotiators, along with two others. Alzazir has subtly hinted at his beliefs not aligning with your own in the past, but the two others showed no signs of disloyalty, in fact, they were perfectly loyal. May you tell us all what evidence you had against them?"

Kaguya knew that it would be easy to turn the question on its head, criticize the Purists, make them look a bit worse. But that would not be good for her. The questioner could easily retort by demanding she answer the original question. And even if he didn't, Kaguya would seem rather cowardly.

"I wanted to clean up the Negotiators. Appearances are rather deceiving. I could make an analogy to some actions you Purists have been doing, but I won't. It would be low. Instead, I will say that until you can give me, and the rest of the Moon for that matter, solid proof that there is something more to this issue, then you claim means nothing."

The senator backed down after that. But the next question was related to the same issue. "I would like to ask you to clarify why Mr. Koachikoi was ejected in the first place."

"He did not share our beliefs," Kaguya explained, "You've been doing a very good job of getting rid of Non-Purists from your own ranks, so why aren't we allowed to do similar things?" An uneasy silence fell over the entire room. It did not settle in gently.

It blew in like a fierce storm, sweeping away any sense of kindness that had once existed. Everyone glanced around awkwardly. Kaguya had injected quite a bit of venom as she struck at the Purist's cleaning of their ranks. "Every level of society, really," Kaguya said, "My ranks of maids are composed entirely, save for Verena, of girls who were put where they were by the Purists. I think that if this level of control over the entire Moon is exercised by them, I can have some control over my close associates."

There was silence. This silence prevailed over the wills of anyone else. Finally, one did dare to break the silence. The order of questioning was broken, but it was clear those before the new questioner would not have had time to ask. "Ms. Houraisan," one of the few to address Kaguya in that formal manner instead of not using her name at all was someone she recognized.

Meriille Seseliasis looked up at her with a grin on her face. "Couldn't it be said that Alzazir Koachikoi had a lot of wealth, in your opinion."

"Yes," Kaguya affirmed. She said nothing more. It would be rude.

"Mr. Koachikoi," Meriille looked at the senator in question, "You are quite wealthy, well-connected?"

He nodded, "Yes I am,"

She looked back to Kaguya, "So then we can definitely show that he was ejected due to his lack of loyalty to your ideals. But who ejected him?"

"Princess Kagome."

"And your highness, why did you choose to do this?"

"Kaguya made me realize that despite the fact that he benefitted the party quite well, he might one day become a threat if he was influenced by outside factors. I could not let such a threat be amidst our ranks any longer. I am to blame for this whole thing." Kaguya smiled, but hid the gesture.

"Really now?" Meriille asked rhetorically, then went to Kaguya. "So you convinced her…You see, I think you're trying to take the moral high ground against us, when we are doing the same thing. There may be real threats throughout Lunarian society to our control. We don't want those who aren't on our side having positions of power, lest they are 'influenced by outside factors.'"

She shut up after that. Kaguya was almost dumbstruck, then she smiled, and nodded. Saying nothing, she thought, _well played. _

The next sets of questions passes smoothly, and then the head senator called for that section to end. The atmosphere had gotten less tense over time, but the hostility between a few select members was still there to be observed.

Kaguya was ready to make her move. "With the Head's permission, I shall make a presentation,"

"Rather unexpected…" he said, but realized that there was nothing to be done. "Proceed,"

"It has been five days since I arrived here on the Moon, returning after over a thousand years of exile." Kaguya began, "And I am very proud to announce that my dutiful staff and I have created the first step towards what is hopefully a much brighter future for us all."

"Some time ago, the Purists passed a bill requiring mandatory military service. But now, my intent is to target that bill, with our own piece of legislation. The true presentation of it is tomorrow in the House, and in the Senate the night after that. But for the time being, I have something a bit more interesting."

She looked behind herself, and waved for Mokou to approach. The girl stood up, coming from the shadowed rear of the box to the front. Everyone, except those who knew of Mokou, was unsure what to think. They knew not who this girl was, or what she might be doing. Why she was even interesting in any way.

"This is someone who is not from our world," Kaguya simply stated. There was a collective gasp, even coming from the Negotiators who had yet to hear of Mokou. Before anyone could cry out, Kaguya continued. "Her name is Fujiwara no Mokou, and I must say that I lied to you a few nights ago. For on the Earth, she was perhaps my dearest companion besides Ms. Yagokoro."

"I know that many of you must be thinking that I am a fool for trusting an Earthling, a human. But she is no mere human. She is more than that." Kaguya smiled, before announcing grandly, "She is just the same as I!"

An even larger gasp came from the crowd. Kaguya then went on to give the story behind Mokou's becoming of a Hourai. She made herself look like the villain, and portrayed Mokou as the valiant girl seeking rightful vengeance. Of course, the thousand years of fighting was also forgotten.

"And while we were enemies at first, I believe that I grew thanks to the experience, and only became a better person. Mokou and I have been good friends since then, and it was by my request that she came up here, at the same time I did, to act as a sort of advisor, a mental anchor if you will."

"I know that many of you believe humans to be fools, who cannot understand us. Even mastering a few words of our language is nearly impossible. But observe." Kaguya stepped aside as Mokou took a step forwards. They had rehearsed this together once.

"Hello to you all," Mokou said, bowing deeply. A small screen in front of her right eye showed what she had to read. "As Kaguya said, I am Fujiwara no Mokou. Kaguya believed it be best if I was the one to give more of an explanation behind her creation of the new bill."

Kaguya was almost giddy. She would have burst out with shouts of praise and joy were it not for the need for appearances. Everyone in the room was absolutely stunned as Mokou pronounced every word almost perfectly. Mistakes were made, but the mere fact that she was doing it in the first place was enough to astound them all.

"First of all, the bill was-" A loud bang rang out across the room. Mokou fell to the ground. She didn't entirely exist anymore. Her head was gone, with the upper part of her chest disappeared as well. Kaguya was covered in blood, yet her face slowly changed into a grin. Salathiel and Chie, sitting behind Mokou, were even more drenched.

She panicked, looking down at Mokou as screams rang out across the chamber. Kaguya ducked down, seeking to hide herself from whoever was opening fire. Salathiel and his aide ducked for cover as well. Kaguya lay flat on the ground as the senate was evacuated.

Instantly, the boxes were sealed up tight by automated mechanisms, the only ones being able to open them being the senator and whatever aide they had at the moment. Salathiel went to open theirs up, as Chie retrieved a rifle from the storage compartment at the side.

Kaguya picked up Mokou's body. It was just a pair of legs, and half of a torso. The remains of her arms were on the ground, and the rest was little bits and pieces. She moved quickly towards the doorway, with Chie leading the way out. A security team was already there, a pair of armed and armored rabbits escorting them away.

They looked at Mokou's corpse, but Kaguya shook her head, "She'll be fine," They were uncertain, but followed the orders. The frantic journey to the landing pad was quick, as secret passages were opened up allowing for quicker access.

The three people rushed into their shuttle, with Chie activating it as they closed the doors. Kaguya was madly cackling as the doors shut and the engines activated. She tossed Mokou to the side, throwing her head back in the air.

"Kaguya?!" Salathiel shouted in fear, "What's wrong?!"

She shook her head, laughing harder. When her mirth finally dissipated, she said, "That wasn't an attack. That was our new friend from Black Ops…"

"Reisen?!" The senator was astounded, "She fired that shot?! It came from a senator's box!"

"No, but she definitely set it all up. I already have the press statement ready. We're going to go after them hard. We are going to absolutely destroy them!"

Salathiel shook his head, "You exploited a Lunar Rabbit with PTSD to shoot your hated rival so that you could criticize the other side?"

Kaguya nodded, shrugging as if she didn't understand the problem, "It was effective. The outcry will be massive, and the Purists will lose a lot of credibility. We need to shake their hold on the people before we can go after their hold on the government."

"Are you sure that was the right thing to do?"

"It was the best thing to do in that situation," Kaguya chuckled. Salathiel nodded. He knew she was right. And in the end, he smiled.

"Good job," he said, grudgingly.

* * *

Reisen still lay in bed. Her eyes flickered as she drifted in and out of sleep, her body and mind not willing to choose one or the other. Fear and expectation coursed through her nerves, even though she barely had the energy to remember why.

Minato sat beside her, wanting to ensure that the rabbit didn't do anything that she might regret. Her hand went to her ear for a moment. She whispered a word in reply to a message that came. "It went as planned," she said, "Kaguya will return shortly."

Reisen nodded. She was not the one who actually fired the shot. No one actually fired the shot. She had to thank Eleonore for placing the sniper rifle that Reisen had rigged to be fired on a timer. It was aimed right for Mokou's head. Secreted away in the wall itself, placed in the compartment where a backup weapon was stored in case of an emergency. Said weapon was removed, with Eleonore boring a hole for the bullet to travel down and exit the wall.

It was a perfect plan. And all to do something very nasty.

Mokou woke up. The shuttle was landing. She looked around wildly, remembering exactly what had occurred. Kaguya was quickly stepped out. A flying tackle from the angered immortal sent the other sprawling to the ground.

"Why was that needed?!" Mokou demanded, more astounded and surprised than angry. Kaguya was motionless for the split second Mokou was atop her. Then Mokou was no longer atop her.

"Let's be civilized about this," Kaguya said, walking away as she stood up, "I have things to do, and no time to deal with your petty complaints." Verena followed close behind her. Salathiel and Chie were behind these two.

And Mokou was still being clutched around the throat by but one of Verena's hands. Not enough to completely choke her, but her air flow was certainly diminished. Walking into the mansion, Kaguya immediately turned for her quarters, the others following her as usual.

Mokou just let Verena carry her along. It was obvious that resistance against the incredibly strong and skilled maid was entirely useless. She heard the doors open before Kaguya. Someone had been waiting for her. Then she heard metal sliding on metal.

It was that one distinctive sound. The sound that once it is heard for the first time, it will be never be forgotten. Mokou wondered what was about to happen. She couldn't turn her head around, only look forwards at Salathiel, with Chie right behind him. Verena smoothly stepped aside, casting Mokou forwards. She fell onto her back, sliding back a little on the floor, as something else slid into Salathiel's gut.

His eyes went wide with fear as his hands clutched at the place where a sword had slid into his body. He looked at his attacker with shock. An inability to understand. Chie turned and ran. The doors were already closed.

Kaguya moved fast. A long cut was traced down the rabbits back, and she fell forwards, sliding down against the closed doors. Another cut severed the muscles at the backs of her knees, while another hacked off her hand. She turned back towards Salathiel.

Mokou started backing away as Kaguya went back to him. Another couple holes were placed in his gut, before she drew a long red line down the length of his arm. Verena stepped forwards. The maid didn't flinch as her face was cut open by the sword Kaguya wielded.

Then the immortal turned and tossed the blade to Yukiko. "Thanks," she said. Then her eyes focused on Mokou. Verena quickly ran towards Chie and Salathiel, hands reaching out to tend to their wounds, ensure that they were not fatal. Janessa and Yukiko, after the latter put the scabbard down, ran to assist as well.

The two wounded were taken out of the room. "To the hospital in the mansion," Kaguya explained, slowly walking towards Mokou. "As we were leaving the Senate, we were attacked by an assassin. There wounds were almost fatal. We barely managed to save them, but they made it through. The assassin was going after the copy of the bill we had, which they did manage to obtain."

Mokou's eyes went wide, to the point where she couldn't stretch them any further. "I was shot…And you're exploiting it?!"

"I had you shot," Kaguya explained, offering her hand to help Mokou stand up, "This needed to happen. It was the beginning of our first offensive against the Purists."

Mokou stared at the hand in shock, "Did you need to fatally wound those two?"

"Yes," Kaguya said. Mokou took the hand, and as she was pulled up, Kaguya nodded with her head towards the sheath on the floor. "The assassin came after me as well. We couldn't identify them." A rather sick smile, a smile that Kaguya had seen on Mokou multiple times, came onto her face.

Sabina, Aksinya, and Nalini were on the stairs leading down to the first floor of Kaguya's quarters. They watched in horror as Mokou, in her twisted glee, picked up the sword. She unsheathed the long weapon, and slowly turned around.

"Belonged to Yukiko. She gave it to me for this purpose. Makes it look more authentic." Kaguya explained. Mokou was like a blur. Kaguya didn't move a single millimeter as the blade bit into her chest.

She smiled at the pain, the deep cut damaging even her heart. Then it slid into her gut. Mokou got close to the girl, grabbing onto her hair with her left hand as her right hand jammed the blade in again and again into Kaguya's body.

Thanks to the way Mokou held her, Kaguya didn't fall down. Long after she was did, Mokou continued. After a couple minutes, red stained the fine uniform of the white-haired immortal, while the other girl was lying on the ground, her insides staining the floor.

The maids slowly walked down the stairs, rather afraid of Mokou. "Don't worry," the immortal said, kneeling down besides Kaguya, "It's just her." She smiled. It was one of pleasure. As she stared at the corpse.

"Does she need assistance?" Sabina asked.

"She'll come back soon," Mokou said, and then shrugged, "Didn't even do that for the sake of whatever plan she has. She just wanted me to have some vengeance. For getting me shot, I mean. I'm sure she was quite satisfied to see my brains splatter everywhere."

Mokou sat back, eyes looking up at the ceiling. The smile on her face only grew wider as she sat in the pool of blood.

* * *

Mokou was correct. Kaguya was perfectly regenerated by the time she had healed. And by the time she walked out to meet with the various reporters who had gathered like starving orphans to a bar of chocolate. Mokou followed her out onto the stage, taking a spot behind her. Verena watched from the side, quite annoyed that Mokou had the honor of being present in the spotlight.

The crowd in the small room, the same room used before for press conferences in the Kagome Mansion, was restless. But that was to be expected. It was as if they waited patiently for a wrapping around a bar of chocolate to be slowly unfurled. _They want such chocolate, then they shall have it. But like any chocolate, it won't be substantial. Only delicious, filled with additives to distract you from the truth. _

She opened her mouth. "Only three hours ago, Fujiwara no Mokou, a dear companion of mine as you all know, was shot. As you can see, she is currently unharmed, as she is an immortal. However, the fact that there was a rather foolish attempt to kill her is certain. I know you all came here for one reason, and one reason alone. To know who I shall accuse of killing her. And to that, I shall answer the Purists." She let her voice trail off, leading to a forest of hands rising up in a second.

Yet it was less a forest, more a swamp. Menacing vines raised up, threatening to engulf the former princess with questions. But Kaguya knew the questions were coming.

"What exactly are the details of the event?" one asked.

"As was seen, Mokou was to present the basics of the bill that shall be given in its entirety to the House of Representatives tomorrow. Someone, however, did not want that happening. The Senate was evacuated, and I returned here immediately."

"How was the shot fired?" one reporter wondered, "The senators know these kinds of things first, correct?" Kaguya knew that the investigators had found the rifle, and had already released a short report of what seemed to have occurred. But it had been only given to the senators present.

So she could say whatever she wanted about the set-up. "There was a sniper rifle placed in the compartment where an extra weapon is usually stored. It was aimed right for the head of whoever would be speaking at the seat of Salathiel Beovil. That happened to be Mokou."

Another spoke. "But was the shot fired manually? I have some reports saying it came from her highness Kagome's seat."

"It was not fired manually," Kaguya said.

"But then why would it be fired at Mokou? You established she was immortal, so what would be the point of shooting her?"

"The shot was not fired by anyone. The rifle was set to fire on a timer. The Purists waited for the questioning of me to be done before the rifle was fired. I imagine that they wanted to try and pick me apart before taking a more direct approach."

Another wondered. "You continue to accuse the Purists? But could it not have been an extremist group, the same one from before?"

"But that group," Kaguya said, "Barely had any kind of advanced tech. If they managed to get into one of the most heavily guarded rooms in the solar system, then they are far more than a small group of extremists."

Then it was Lacia's turn. Kaguya had saved her for last. "You keep accusing the Purists, but what would they have to gain from this? If the shot was intended for you, then why does it matter that it not hit you. All they are going to do is lose credibility, when they gained nothing from this. At this point, this looks more like an attempt by you to set up the Purists."

_Clever girl…_Kaguya commented, then replied, "Well, they did have a goal. For we were attacked by a group of assassins once we returned. We believed that they used the chaos to board the shuttle. Once we came back, they made an attempt on our lives. Salathiel and his assistant are still in the hospital if you wish to go see them. Furthermore, there was a digital copy of the presentation Mokou was to give. It was plugged into the terminal of the seat. It will not be there if you look again, and we have it nowhere. The presentation also contains a finalized copy of the bill. The Purists somehow knew I was up to something, so they planned to steal it from me so that it could be analyzed beforehand. I would not have brought the speech if Mokou was not going to recite it, so they must have somehow known of Mokou's presence here, which means that they have some spy in our ranks."

Lacia nodded. There was no hole that she could poke. Not without finding more evidence. Kaguya smiled inside. She had left a huge amount of holes in her speech in the first place. She was no longer on the defense. She was on the attack.

Instead of directing attention from the Purists, she went straight for them. And any attack will encounter complications. Kaguya could have filled in every hole in her beginning speech. She even anticipated Lacia's question. She only saved that girl for last out of fear. Kaguya let her announcement be full of holes, so that the horde of questioners would go for those holes, believing them to be weak points. When in fact, they were all strongly defended.

Everything in the universe is naturally lazy. So the reporters would have wanted to spend the least amount of time thinking about a question in order to get the best story. If Kaguya gave them holes to supposedly exploit, then they would go for them. What was more is that if she did not provide opportunities, then they would dream up questions on their own.

That would not be acceptable. She would not have a solid answer to those questions. All she had to do was appease them. Give them sweet chocolate, delicious chocolate. Yet chocolate that meant nothing in the end. Only the message that it bore. And that message said that the Purists were playing dirty.

"And this spy?" Lacia had one more. "Do you have any idea?"

"Alzazir Koachikoi is already gone," Kaguya explained, "I do believe he was communicating with them." That was a lie. But the Purists would deny it. And that would be something that they would do even if it was true. And Kaguya knew that she was speaking to reporters. The reporters would present the truth in their own way. She was giving them a juicy story.

And that was all they needed. As well as all Kaguya needed in order to score her first blow against the Purists.

* * *

Her speech finished, the immortal was returning to her own quarters. Mokou was of course right behind her. Verena was even closer. The maid seemed to be vying for Kaguya's attention with Mokou.

It was a battle that she was ashamed to be losing. She knew what that meant for her and Kaguya. And she accepted this unfortunate fate.

Mokou told Kaguya that she was going back to her own room. She needed time alone. Verena dutifully followed the former princess back into her own room. She paused near the door, as Kaguya went and laid down on the bed.

She heard Kaguya take a deep breath. Seconds passed. Twelve. Verena counted. "Was it necessary to scare her like that?"

Verena did not play stupid. She knew what Kaguya was referring to, and she owned up to her crime. "It was an impulsive move, based on my own selfish emotions for you. Please forgive me."

"You think she's stealing me from you," Kaguya commented, "But I was never yours to begin with."

Verena said nothing. She had not been asked a question. It was not her place to reply. "You are my maid. You have been for a long time. You have always belonged to me."

"Except for the thousand years when I wasn't…" the sentence slipped from Verena's mind, and became physical words. Her eyes went wide.

"Still on that issue?" Kaguya asked, "Funny, because I swore you got over that. Entirely got over it. But you still need to cry about how I 'abandoned you', and 'left you behind'."

Verena was silent as Kaguya stood up. The girl walked towards Verena. She stared her in the eyes. "You think you're so special because you've been with me the longest? Because you think you care for me the most?" She shook her head.

"I hate you." Verena had never heard Kaguya say those words to her. Not directly at her. She thought she could actually feel something in her break when her brain finished processing the saying. "Get out," Kaguya added. She turned around, walking back to her bed.

"Did you ever think about what has motivated me to serve you for so long?!" Verena shouted at the top of her lungs. It was the first time she had ever been truly angry at Kaguya. "For over five thousand and seven years, I have done nothing but strive to make you happy! I have sought to put a smile on your face, asking for no reward!"

"I have kept your secrets, done your dirty work! There is not a single maid my age on the entire Moon! They all have long since moved up the ranks by now, but not me, because I don't ask for thanks! I turn it done when you offer it to me!" Tears came from her eyes as she screamed at Kaguya.

"I ask for one simple compensation, and all of a sudden you don't care! For a thousand years, I was without a purpose in my life, working for mostly Yui, but not caring about anyone else! I prayed you would come back after the exile was lifted, but you didn't! You stayed on the Earth, loving some stupid planet better than the person who has been with you for longer than anyone else!"

She took a deep breath. Inhaling and exhaling, she looked into Kaguya's eyes, which were wide, filled with shock. Verena was still angry, but she did her best to calm herself. She dropped to her knees, and while her body still shook, she spoke, "Forgive me. That was foolish. I accept whatever punishment you find necessary."

Kaguya stepped forwards. Her steps were slow, not intentionally slow. She sounded more shocked than anything else. "W-w-What have I done?" she asked, to not in particular. She got to one knee. The tips of her fingers tilted Verena's head up.

"I am sorry," Kaguya said, "I have been a fool. I am the one who was selfish here, not you."

"You have found someone more important to you than I," Verena said, "And if that makes you happy…then I, being the person who I am, has no choice but to comply with that decision."

Kaguya pulled Verena forwards as she sat back. "What was it like, serving someone for four thousand years straight?"

"I loved it," Verena said, "Because it was in your service…"

"Did it ever get painful, being nothing more than a slave to my desires?" Kaguya wondered, her words soft, quiet. She sounded ashamed of herself.

"Never," Verena swore.

"Was it painful? Tell me truthfully," Kaguya said.

"At times, yes." Verena admitted, "It hurt, following you around, seeing other people living their lives. That was after a thousand years. But after that, I got better. You got better. You have always given me the utmost respect, and thanks to that, this has never gotten painful."

"I'm sorry," Kaguya said. She took a deep breath. She didn't listen to Verena. She felt some kind of pain in the girl's voice. "If you hadn't been my maid, all this pain would have never come to you. I saw my banishment coming, and I should have had you discharged from my service before it occurred."

"Therefore, I shall do that now," She promised, "You deserve a life better than this."

Verena screamed. She shot up from where she leaned against Kaguya. Shaking her head wildly, she begged, "Please no! You can't do that!" She was honest. Her tears were the most honest Kaguya had ever seen.

"Why not?" the former princess wondered, "It would only give you freedom…"

"But you're back," Verena said, "And as long as you are here, I will trust you. You have promised to never leave me behind. I would rather die than be away from you again. And you have promised that shall never occur."

"Quiet," Kaguya said. It was more an order than a request. So Verena followed it, and shut her mouth. "You're wrong. I will force you to no longer serve me. I'll find you something else to do, but I can't have you as my servant."

Verena nodded. She fell onto her back, arms splaying out on the floor. "You will be content," Kaguya ordered. Verena followed the command, not wishing to disobey her master.

"You're just a mindless beast," Kaguya commented, "You weren't like this before. Before those thousand years of my exile. What changed?"

"I act in this manner in an attempt to prove my loyalty to you. I act as the perfect servant these days so that you will pay me some attention. But I don't know what to do now."

"I don't want a perfect maid," Kaguya said, "Or at least not a perfect maid like everyone else thinks. I want someone who will serve me, but also think on her own. Be her own person. If you can't be your own person while still serving me, then it is time for that servitude to end."

Verena shot up. Bowing her head again, she said, "Of course. I shall strive to do as you-"

"No," Kaguya said, "Be yourself. This is not an order. I am begging you to do this as someone who cares for you more than anyone else. Not as your master."

Verena let a smile slip onto her face. Then she lit up with happiness. Leaping forwards, she almost knocked Kaguya onto the ground as she hugged her tight, "Thank you…" she said. There were three other words she wanted to say. Unfortunately for her, Kaguya already knew for certain what those words were going to convey.

And the fact that she knew, yet did not act on it only hurt Verena. But the maid could still be of use to the former princess who had rejected her for another.

Tears fell from Verena's eyes. Then she felt something she hadn't felt before. It was just a light peck on the cheek, but it meant the world to the girl. "Don't take this as anything more than it is," Kaguya said, "But just because I found someone who I can relate to a bit better doesn't mean you're done for. We have thousands of years to catch up on."

Verena froze for a moment, then nodded. She hugged Kaguya even tighter. Her tears flowed, but she felt a warmth in her heart that she had not felt for a long time.

* * *

Kaguya stood facing the entirety of the House of Representatives. Larger than the Senate, and actually located in its own special building, which was somehow smaller than the grandness of the senate structure.

Kaguya stood with Verena at her side. The House was a large crescent of seats, all facing a central position where the current speaker would present. It was less like the Senate, which was focused towards more discussion. The House was more a place for new bills to be presented. Because if the house shot them down, then they weren't going anywhere.

"Greetings," Kaguya said, "To all of you. I stand here before you on this day to present something which I hope begins to change things here. I know for a fact that one hundred and fifty seven of the three hundred and twenty four representatives in this room have children. Which means that they have been affected by the bill decreeing that the first child must serve in the LSDF. This service is mandatory, and not following this law earns you the status of traitor."

"Is that what purity is about?" Kaguya asked, "I don't think so. I am not sure if all of you agree with me, but I can only hope that you do. Because this new bill which I have come forth to propose to you all shall serve to refute that bill. We all know that while your children are obligated to serve, the children of those in the Senate are not. Is this supposed to stand? Is this what being a Lunarian means, discriminating based on class, rank, and wealth?"

Kaguya made sure to make eye contact with each of the representatives, despite the size of the room and their distance from her. "I have not been touched by this decree, with my child having joined when he first could. Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps my entire presence on the Moon is a nuisance. I can't say. I'm not the judge. I only do what I think is right. You all are the representatives of the people, correct?"

She waited for a response. It took some time for it to catch on that she was waiting for this. Then they all nodded. The minutes in between were awkward, but Kaguya knew that the effect was profound.

"Then I am throwing myself on the mercy of the people. If you believe this is unjust, then support me. If I am wrong, and am merely a false messiah preaching the wrong path to salvation, then do not. Saying I don't care would be a lie. I do care. I want to win, because I think this will help. But again, who is to be the judge?"

She fell silent. "Thank you for your time, a copy of the bill has been uploaded to all of your screens. There are some minor nuances, but the general message is clear. The vote is at the end of the week, I know, but I hope that we can move faster than that."

The head of the house stood from her seat beside where Kaguya sat. Kaguya stood where the head would normally speak from. "I believe," she said, calling out to the entire house, "That we are all ready to vote right now."

There was a general agreement. Kaguya was amazed as she watched the vote take place, and saw the votes massively favor her. Exactly twenty-six voted against her, but she knew that the Purists could not be stopped from buying off some.

Otherwise, the majority vote had passed. The bill was going to the senate. It was an overwhelming victory. And as Kaguya exited the house amidst cheers and compliments, she could barely hold back her exclamations of victory.

* * *

The room was dark. It had been like that for a long time. Not a single scrap of light shone into the space. It was cold. The floor was hard. Made from stone, only showing the age of the deep chamber.

Blinding rays of pain seared the eyes of the one person inside, revealing her position in the corner of the room. The light outside, dim, was the first the little rabbit had seen in a long time. The room smelled terrible. It had a toilet, but that was the only furnishing besides the cot in the corner.

"Get up," the blue-haired rabbit inside the cell found herself hearing words. Words were an alien thing to her. They had been for the past month.

But she knew how to listen to them. Her tired legs moved and she tried to walk towards the door. She ended up stumbling forwards, falling over onto her face. She heard the guard moving forwards, but they were stopped. "Don't be cruel to her," a voice said.

The short-haired rabbit looked up. A woman was offering her hand to her. "Don't be scared," she said, her voice beautiful. She spoke in a very fine dialect, with some words the rabbit couldn't even understand.

Deep crimson hair ran to her waist, while glasses covered her eyes, which had a hint of yellow. She wore a violet military uniform, a double-breasted jacket holding in her rather sizable bust. Her hair fell in the most beautiful way as she leaned down, her hand reaching out.

"Rei'sen," she said, "It's been a long time since you've seen the light…"

Rei'sen took her hand. Slowly, she was pulled up. The woman, still holding her hand, led her forwards. But Reisen stumbled again. This time, the woman just picked up the small rabbit, carrying her in her arms.

She was tall, and Rei'sen shut her eyes, still hurt by the sensations that she hadn't experienced in a long time. She knew that she got into an elevator, and went upwards. She moved elsewhere, and then was in another elevator. At this point, she could actually look around, and then saw that the woman emerged into the top of the LSDF headquarters in the Capital. It was a massive castle, placed right in the middle of the modern place.

One of the highest towers of the castle contained the officer of Chirain Seseliasis. He sat behind his desk now, staring at the elevator as it opened. "Here she is," the woman said, carrying Reisen forwards. A plate of food sat in front of a chair. Another chair sat beside Chirain's on the opposite side of the desk.

The rabbit was placed in the chair, while the woman stood beside Chirain. The man that Reisen recognized to be her husband. _That's right, _Reisen thought, _she's Ikaria Seseliasis. _The woman smiled, while her husband crossed his arms, staring at Reisen.

"You…" he muttered, "Have you had some time to think about your actions?"

Rei'sen nodded, "Please, forgive me," she begged, words barely slipping out.

"Eat," Chirain commanded, then shook his head, "Could you have at least cleaned her up before bringing her here?"

"I wanted to be fast," Ikaria said, "Besides, she's headed right back there after this is done." Rei'sen shuddered, and tears came to her eyes.

"Let's get this over with," the supreme commander muttered. He stared at Reisen. "Your memories were locked by what Eirin gave you, and we can't deal with that. But you can access them. However, you can't if you're being forced. We don't even know how she made it work like that, but somehow your brain locks up if you're being tortured. So I give you an option. Tell us now, or we put you back in that cell for the rest of your miserable existence."

Rei'sen nodded, "I fled to the Earth. I was…was found by Eirin Yagokoro and Kaguya Houraisan. I brought Eirin's letter back to the Watatsukis. I don't know what else you want from me…"

"Did you or did you not encounter Reisen Inaba on the Earth?" Chirain demanded.

"I…" Rei'sen thought carefully. Either she told now, and hurt Reisen, Kaguya, and Eirin. Or she didn't tell. And she went back to that little cell, where she would die. She froze up in fear. She had no idea what she was supposed to do.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked.

"Answer the question!" Chirain demanded. Reisen panicked. She flinched hard enough that she knocked her head into the back of the chair. Ikaria shook her head. "This isn't going to work, dear," she muttered, "She doesn't know what to do."

"And we can't break her, because the memories will delete themselves," Chirain muttered, only thanking his wife for her examination of the seal somehow crafted by Eirin. "We can't do anything else but get her to tell now. We need to know if Rei'sen was with Kaguya on the Earth. If she was, then she was the one who set up the shot in the senate, and we can make some headway." He said these words for a reason. He wanted Rei'sen to hear them.

"Kaguya is here?!" Rei'sen cried out.

"Yes, she is," Chirain said, "And today, she murdered another senator. We can't prove it, but we believe that if we know the whereabouts of Reisen Inaba, then we would be able to better prove it."

Rei'sen took a deep breath. She looked around, only to find that Ikaria slightly shook her head. "I know nothing of that rabbit," she said, "Only who she is, not where she is, or was."

Chirain nodded. "Then you are of no use to me. Or anyone." He waved to his wife. She shrugged. Rei'sen screamed out. She felt her voice being muffled as Ikaria jammed her hand over her mouth as the woman lifted her up. The muffling spell further prevented the travel of Rei'sen's words.

She was tossed back in the cell. Rei'sen looked at the closing door, scrambling for it, but it closed before she could get close. Then it was dark again.

She broke down into tears, curling into a ball on the floor as she slowly lost all hope. There was to be no escape. She was ready to talk. But that woman…had done something to her. Her mind…had not been her own. _I said those words…but-but…Ikaria's a master of telepathy! Did she...? _Rei'sen wanted to scream out now.

She was a loyal servant of the Lunarian people. But she was also a friend of Reisen.

* * *

Half a day would pass before the door opened again. Rei'sen was periodically given a few scraps of bread and some water, but this time, the door opened fully. She saw a familiar face as she sat in the corner. Ikaria was all alone. She wore a bright smile. Once again, she offered her hand. Rei'sen was less trusting, but also realized that it was her only way out.

She was once again picked up by the woman. Another elevator ride. Then another one. She emerged into a spacious living room, which seemed like the first part of a larger set of rooms. She realized that it was the quarters of the Supreme Commander, a large series of rooms spread throughout the upper levels of the central keep. Only accessed through the single elevator, a few other emergency exits.

"I wanted to give you a second chance," Ikaria explained, "It would be terrible for you to rot down there. You're the only person that's been down there in a while."

She put the rabbit on a couch, laying her down. "I'll get something substantial to eat for you,"

"Aren't I a traitor?" Rei'sen asked.

"Yes," Ikaria said, "But you can't be blamed for being scared. Perhaps we need to rethink our ways. Wait here, Chirain will be back any minute."

She returned, sitting on a couch right beside Rei'sen's. A plate of food was placed on the table beside the sofa upon which Reisen sat. The rabbit sat up, and started eating. Ikaria watched happily. Minutes passed, before the elevator opened.

"What is she doing here?" Chirain contained no anger. Only annoyance, perhaps disbelief.

"She's getting a second chance," Ikaria stood up, approaching Chirain.

"She's a deserter, and even worse, she's a traitor for withholding necessary information after being asked by it by her rightful commanding officer." Chirain explained, "She should be executed,"

"Because she was scared?" Ikaria asked, "She ran away because she met Reisen before she was brainwashed and inducted into Black Ops. Rei'sen only suffered because Reisen was recruited and Rei'sen knew her. And we created Black Ops to do our dirty work, remember?"

"I know," Chirain said. He looked at Rei'sen, who was trembling in fear at the sight of him. "We'll let her be for now. Do what you will with her. But remember what she lost us."

"Going after Kaguya now would be pointless. She's turned the people against us, it's not like we can convince them all that she's guilty all of a sudden. We lost this first round. But we can stop this bill, because we do have a copy of it. She can't prove anything. This entire incident was awkward for all, but we can just let it die out."

Chirain nodded, "Do you think she'll win in the end?"

"She has a chance," Ikaria said, "A good one. The real question is how far will we go to stop her?"

"I won't start a war," Chirain promised, "I will not start a war for the sake of all of this."

"Are you certain?" Ikaria asked, "It may be the only option."

Chirain shook his head. "I won't commit genocide on two peoples."

Ikaria stepped close, embracing him tightly. "Do you think we can win?" She was whispering now, too quiet for Rei'sen.

"I doubt it," he replied, just as quietly, "Perhaps…no. We're already losing."

He embraced her back. They shared a brief kiss. Ikaria stepped away. "Well then," she spoke to Rei'sen, "You can stick around here for the time being. I'll ask the Watatsukis about you, but we really don't need what's in your head."

"Really?" Rei'sen's face brightened.

"Of course," Ikaria said, "I'd love to have you around, certainly spices up the atmosphere."

Rei'sen felt that she shouldn't trust the woman, and especially not her husband, but she had no other choice. So she did.

* * *

It was late at night. Kaguya would have been in bed already were it not for the stream of other tasks she found occupying her attention. One of the more memorable encounters she had after the unfortunate incident at the senate was a brief conversation with one of her maids.

The one with the blue hair politely requested her attention for a moment, preferably away from the others. Slipping into a side room, Kaguya questioned, "What is it?"

"It is about Ms. Kiorsta," Yukiko explained, "She…she spoke much to me the previous night, and I believe there may be a problem."

"Out with it," Kaguya insisted,

"She distrusts you. She was thrown out of the LSDF in a situation similar to the way those two senators were thrown out. She fears that you will act similarly to her at some point. The fear is real, I can assure you."

Kaguya nodded. She thought for a brief moment. "Will it cause trouble at some point?"

"Possible," Yukiko said, looking over Kaguya's shoulder, watching for any trouble, "But I am not sure. She may just have been tired, and let her mind run on."

"Or she might be trouble at some point," Kaguya said, "And I'd rather devote time and energy now then get stabbed in the back later. What do you think can be done?"

"I'm not sure," the maid replied, "She seems to trust me, so I may be able to talk some sense into her. But I don't know how far that will go."

"Do it," Kaguya ordered, "I'll even make an act of handing you over to her. It may assist her trust of you." She paused, thought for a moment, then, "Do you think you can do this? Are you certain you can help her? At least to work through her fear, I can't have her running around not trusting me."

"I'm not certain, but I don't think anyone can be. I can certainly try, but how much that trying will do is another thing."

"Do what you can, we need to wipe this cancer out before it spreads any further."

"Should we be this aggressive about the issue?" Yukiko asked, "It is a legitimate fear of hers, and…and…" she shook her head, "Nothing."

But the look on Kaguya's face told her to say it, so she did. "And your actions have not exactly helped her lose this fear…I'd say that they have only enhanced the paranoia inside her."

"I shall do my best to rethink them," the hastiness of the words planted some doubt in Yukiko's mind, but she didn't think about that for the moment. She nodded.

"And I shall get started with Caohime," she promised, "When should I?"

"Find an opening, and go for it," Kaguya said, "Do your best. Make sure this goes well. Don't make anything worse." She turned around and strode away quickly, leaving Yukiko alone. The girl took a deep breath, and then moved in that same direction.

* * *

Light footsteps were the main source of sound for the bright space. The clacking sound of the fancy shoes on the concrete surface echoed throughout the garage, the bright lights in the ceiling pushing back any hint of darkness.

A single vehicle was left in the lowest level of the parking garage for the Royal Academy of the Lunar Capital. It was a fancy, expensive vehicle. The streamlined curves of the crimson vehicle appealed to the buyer, so she had indulged herself. She wasn't too much of a fan of cars, but she liked the look of some.

She was about to enter the vehicle when she heard something else. It was another vehicle coming into the garage. _This low? At this time? _She locked her car, taking cover quickly as a vehicle roared past. It came to a perfect stop.

It was a sports vehicle even more expensive than the one she had. But modified, actually. The elongated rear compartment could fit multiple people. It had come in silently, and was very fast. The rear window came down. It was observed that the window was about three inches thick, and probably magically-enhanced plexiglass.

"Celia Adrimasen?" the little girl that was revealed by the window asked. She couldn't see the woman, who was cowering behind her own car. "Please come out, I don't mean to kill you."

The woman that came out from behind the crimson car had dark violet hair, tied into a short ponytail. Glasses were on her face, while a long white coat ran down to her shins. It was no lab coat, just a long coat that looked like one. As she stood up and turned to face the car, she put the folders she carried down on her car.

The coat she wore was not buttoned in the middle, revealing a tight black coat and a knee-length black skirt. Her legs were bare, save for the boots going most of the way up her shins. And while her coat was tight, there was not much on her chest to be highlighted. "Then what do you intend to do with me?" she didn't waste breath, staring straight ahead at the girl.

"Well, Professor Celia Adrimasen, head of the Royal Academy, I am Nariari Beovil, merely a sister of a senator, and I simply wish to talk to you."

"And if I refuse?" Celia asked.

Nariari shrugged, "Well, I can't stop you from refusing. But I can stop you from getting in that car and driving away. I can stop you from contactin anyone else at the moment. Which means that I _can_…"

"Make me get in that car?" Celia guessed.

"Precisely," Nariari said, "Don't worry, if this was some violent kidnapping, I wouldn't be asking so politely."

Celia nodded. She picked up her folders, "Let me put these away," she said. She unlocked her car. And while many other people would have used the chance to run away, she merely put the folders in the back, and shut and locked the vehicle.

Walking towards the girl's car, she got in the back. The door was locked behind her, and she found that she was alone, save for the driver. Celia sat across from Nariari, crossing her arms as she put one leg over the other.

"Any reason for this?" she wondered.

"I need to speak with you about some people you happen to know," Nariari explained.

"Could we not play games?" Celia wondered, "Just tell me things straight up."

"You work for the Purists," Nariari said, "We're going to talk about that lovely little relationship."

"I'm sorry," Celia chuckled. She ran the largest university on the Moon in a time of war and politics. She had to be able to fake things in order to get funding. So she was great at lying. "I have no idea what sort of relationship you are talking about. I am currently running a research project which supports their goals, but I do not understand how that counts as working for them? I know your older brother is a…Negotiator," she scoffed at the word, "Working for that despicable Kaguya, but does that mean you have to have the same views as him?"

Nariari chuckled, "I like you," she said, "But it turns out that your aide will definitely say that a senator, never the same in a row, from the Purists comes to visit you every week, and has done so for the past year. Sometimes it has even been two or three times a week. Would you like to explain that?"

"Would you like to explain how you spoke to my aide without my knowing?" she asked, "Who are you again?"

"Nariari Beovil," she said, "You are currently in my car. That man up there is my servant. He is good at killing people. He's never done it, but I bet he could if I asked nicely. The cameras back at the garage will show that my vehicle was never present there. They actually went blank about an hour ago, after they were shut down for routine maintenance. But nothing was scheduled tonight? Well, you reported an issue earlier that day…but you won't be able to refute that, because all this would only be brought up if your body was found in your house, as the result of an unfortunate suicide. We really wouldn't know what did that to you, would we? It would be a tragic death…"

Celia stared at Nariari with shock. She could see that the girl was not lying. She was not bluffing or messing with Celia. The truth was what was being told here. "Would you like to admit to working for those Purists now? Because really, investigating the impurity of the Earth isn't exactly a very scientific project. It's not even a space for a respected writer like yourself, much less the head of your science division."

"What do you want from me?" Celia asked.

"You clearly have the ear of the Purists. They most likely paid you to do this project, to make the Earth look bad. You also probably advise them on some things, because an aide of one of the senators said so. Would you like to elaborate on exactly what?"

"Tell me what you want," Celia said. She was scared. She was looking around, wishing that she had never gotten into this car.

"There is a bill going to the senate, courtesy of Kaguya. I need you to advise the senators to go against it." Nariari explained, "It is vital that you advise them of this. I know that you're no crazed Purist, not as the Purists say you are. You're rather interested in the Earth. But do advise them to go against this."

"Or else I die?" Celia guessed.

"Not at all," Nariari said, "I never had the intention of killing you."

"In fact, I'd like to know how much the Purists pay you, per year," Nariari explained.

Celia gave a value. Nariari hit a few keys on her tablet. "There we go," she said, "Your payment is twice that."

"But only if the bill fails?" Celia asked.

"Nope. Half of it is up front. The rest comes when you finish. And you can even keep working for them. Just make sure that they don't listen to Kaguya."

"So you're giving me twice what I make in an entire year to ensure a minor bill fails…you're not working for Kaguya."

"That imbecile?" Nariari chuckled, "Not her. I'm out on my own, just playing things for my own gain."

"Where are you getting all of this money from?" Celia wondered.

"Magicians never tell their secrets," Nariari said. The expression was a profoundly earthly one, no equivalent really existing on the Moon. Celia laughed at its use.

"I don't like buying people out like this, Celia," Nariari said, "So hopefully we can become better friends."

"Miss, I have never been bought out to this extent," Celia explained, "This is a new level of low for me, but somehow it's exciting."

"Welcome to politics," Nariari said, "I hear you've plenty of listeners in the senate, so I'll be asking a lot."

"I think I'll be fine with that," Celia said, "I don't even need this much money again. I don't even know what I'll do with it all."

"Indulge yourself," Nariari suggested, as the car pulled back into the garage of the Royal Academy, "You've three jobs now. See you soon, thanks for all of this."

Celia shook her head, "Thank you," she said. She stepped out of the car, which drove away like a silent ghost floating through the night. She smiled as she watched it go, her heart pounding, but her brain was just as exhilarated.

* * *

**I ought to feel bad about the pun in the title, shouldn't I?**


	19. Those Who Carry Cards

Reisen still lay in bed, alone this time. Although all those who wanted to thank her had already come by, she was wondering if there was anyone else. It was not that she really wanted company, she just didn't want the tiredness of her body to lure her into sleep.

That was something she would do her best to avoid. But in her current state, resting in a comfortable, safe bed, the rabbit was hard-pressed to escape the waiting nightmares.

She was struggling to keep her eyes open when she heard a sound. She hadn't told anyone about the level of suffering she was incurring, and she knew that she ought to. And she just might have, if the person opening the door had been Kaguya.

But it wasn't. The room was dark, but Reisen could see easily in such conditions. It was a blind woman. But the way she focused on Reisen…she wasn't blind. Then what were those things over her eyes?

"Sorry to intrude," the newcomer was quiet, "May I?"

"Yes," The word was eagerly said, perhaps a bit unexpected, as the newcomer frowned at the excited tone.

She sat in the chair beside Reisen's bed, leaning back as she crossed one leg over the other. "Is something the matter?" she wondered. Reisen didn't know this woman. That would be why she did not answer the question.

"Perhaps it has to do with your past?" the woman wondered, "That PTSD of yours? I hear it's quite bad."

"Who are you?" Reisen asked. She wanted company. Not this.

"Eleonore Vaskliand," the woman answered, "An assistant to the Princess Kagome." She grinned, "I just came to talk."

"I can see that," Reisen said, "But I think that was enough." She looked away, annoyance on her face.

"I only want to help," Eleonore said, "I apologize if my approach was rather aggressive,"

"Perhaps you should rethink your approach," Reisen said, "But I don't know what you think you can do for me."

"I get the feeling I can help you," Eleonore said, "This is the first time we've spoken, and perhaps my gut is wrong. It has been before, but I'd like to at least try."

"Help me?" Reisen asked, "People talking about helping others a lot, and in the end, how much really gets done?"

"True," Eleonore had no real, truthful response to that other than agreeing with it.

"Then what do you think is so special about you?"

"I don't know," Eleonore said, "Maybe I was a fool to come in here."

"I think you were," Reisen said.

"Should I go?" She was ready to stand up. But Eleonore was not one to waste time. If she thought that she was going to be sent out, she would have stood up and been walking towards the door.

So even though an awkward minute and a half of silence passed before the next words came from Reisen, Eleonore knew what that single word would be. "No."

"Well, we've established I'm a fool who can't help you. But you don't want me gone. You're tired, so I'm guessing that you want some kind of company so that you don't encounter something when you're sleeping. Nightmares, perhaps?"

"What do you want?" Reisen asked.

"You know that already?"

"What did Yui send you to do here?"

"I came of my own volition," Eleonore said, but she tell that her words would not be believed.

Reisen was silent. "Those nightmares of yours," the quiet girl remarked, "How bad are they? What do they show?"

"The people I've killed…what else?"

"How many?"

"A lot, I couldn't count," Reisen was whispering.

"Who were they?"

"Some humans…a lot of Lunarians and rabbits, at least compared to the humans…" Reisen said softly.

_There have been quite a few murders in the last one hundred years…_Eleonore remarked, _at least compared to the rest of history. Plenty of mysterious disappearances as well. _

"That is what haunts you?" Eleonore asked.

"Yes," Reisen. "I see their dead bodies. I see myself, realizing that I carried my orders mindlessly. Things that I can't remember during the day come back during the night…"

"What have you tried?"

"Not sleeping, for a start," Reisen said. "Eirin has given me things to help me out, and I'm taking medications here…but memories can't really be wiped away."

"You need to accept them," Eleonore suggested.

"You see," Reisen said, shaking her head, "Everyone suggests that. Just face your fears…but I have." She looked at Eleonore, "I faced them once, and then I had to be brought back to life."

"So that was why?" Eleonore asked, "You really tried?"

"Of course I did," Reisen said, "I wouldn't run away. I had for a long time. Something about the night Kaguya left…I tried hard to fight it all off…"

"Can you do something for me now?" she wondered. Her eyes stared at Eleonore's bandages, "Can you really?"

"Maybe…" Eleonore said, "But it might require revealing some secrets of my own."

"I've revealed my secrets," Reisen said, "To someone I don't know. Perhaps you ought to do the same."

"Maybe another time," Eleonore said, "It would be difficult to do so now. We have not the time and materials. I can keep you company, however."

Reisen nodded, "Maybe." Her answer was not final, so Eleonore stayed where she was, silent. The rabbit wondered what the woman meant by 'time and materials'. It partially worried her, but it also attracted her, the idea that she had some process that might help Reisen, relieve her of her pain.

Not that any nightmares would stop Reisen from getting up in the morning and doing whatever Kaguya wanted her to do. It was just that she preferred to rest easy for but one night.

* * *

It was not that Salathiel actually had any kind of attraction for Serafima. It was really the opposite. She had been annoying him more and more over the past few days. He really didn't know why, and when he was invited to dinner for the third time by the woman, he figured that he try and find out.

Which was why they were not at some restaurant. They were instead outside at Yui's mansion, sitting out on a small balcony overlooking the forest. Serafima was eating quietly, while Salathiel did the same. But Serafima seemed more eager to dig into her meal, as if she had something else to get to after this.

Chie had asked around. Salathiel had managed to get himself known amongst Serafima's aides, and one had explained that her entire night was free. Which made Salathiel a bit worried. He had no intention of sleeping with this woman, but he could not speak for her own motivations.

He kept picking at his food, as he made pointless small talk. He wasn't even remotely invested in that, thinking about how he was going to broach the main topic. It was not as if he could just suddenly accuse her of playing him to try and get information about Kaguya.

"Why do you like me so much?" he finally found the way to steer the conversation in the intended direction, to ease his opponent into the trap he planned. _This is just silly, _he told himself as he planned everything out, _there's no way she can be so prepared. Let's just be polite. _

"Do I have to have a specific reason?" she wondered, "Maybe I just like you because you're you."

"That's oddly cliché," Salathiel commented, "Just tell me flat out,"

"And anything else I say would be 'oddly cliché'," she mimicked his tone, "Because how is anyone supposed to talk about love without sounding cliché these days. I'm telling you, those people back in old times, when there wasn't all the cheesy love stories there are today, had things so much easier."

Salathiel nodded, "But still, why me? Why, out of all the people here, me? And it's not like you've been slowly coming onto me. This has all been rather sudden, ever since Kaguya asked me to serve her directly. Are the two events related?"

"Maybe," Serafima shrugged, "Before Kaguya came, you were a whiny little boy. Now you can stand up for yourself. A lot smarter, more focused and dedicated."

"So you only like me because Kaguya made me into a different person than I was before?" Salathiel asked, "That hurts honestly. I had no real issue with who I was in the past. This might be more enjoyable, but I'd appreciate it if you could not insult me."

"Sorry," the woman smiled. She pushed her plate forwards, having finished the meal. It had been made by Chie. Salathiel knew not what he would do without that rabbit. "But I thought you wanted to know why I liked you?"

"You like me because I am assertive?" Salathiel asked. He shook his head, "I feel the mood has been soured."

"It has," Serafima agreed, "Perhaps a new topic?" She raised her eyebrows. The spreading grin on her face told Salathiel that he could strike now.

"Good idea," he agreed, "So what does Yui want from me?"

"Well," Serafima was going to respond. But the response was automatic. She had not expected that question to be asked. "…Well, I wouldn't know. Has she told you she wants something from you? She hasn't talked to me."

"You're an incredible liar," Salathiel commented, his tone moving towards one of complete praise, "Really, I'm not kidding. Probably one of the best I've ever seen. I can't even tell if you're lying or not. But I know you are, because I know you. You never paid a scrap of attention to me in the past, and then suddenly come at me when Kaguya recruits me. That's rather suspicious, don't you think? Perhaps you should have planned your approach better? But of course, I can't really blame you, you had a difficult task."

"Salathiel, there's such a thing as jumping to conclusions," she said, "And that's what you're doing right now. Stop taking everything at face value."

"And stop lying to me," Salathiel insisted, "Tell the truth, and this will be a much more pleasant conversation for the both of us. I'm serious."

"Yui wants to know what Kaguya is planning in the long term. You are her chief of staff, so you would certainly know what she is planning in the long term," Serafima explained, "But don't tell Kaguya this, please."

"I won't," Salathiel promised, "But I will tell Yui to stop. Kaguya is not doing anything wrong, nothing that is going to harm Yui. And besides, how were you even going to get something out of me?"

Serafima shrugged, "Well, since I knew that tonight would be your first time, you might be a little more open-minded when it was all over. Maybe even let a few secrets slip. Also, I can tell you're lying to me. I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me the truth."

"I could," Salathiel said, "But I won't."

"That's just unfair," Serafima commented, "Especially because you think that your infiltration of my staff is so secretive. They tell me things, you know. I know what you're trying to do. Stop digging into my past, or I might just dig into yours. I recall you had a brother that died, really would be a shame if the charges were brought up again."

Salathiel raised his eyebrows, "You're threatening me?" he asked, surprise in his voice. But it sounded feigned. Then it all turned to amusement. "Really? Petty threats? What have you become?" he wondered. He shook his head, more disappointed than anything else.

Serafima chuckled, "Someone who has outsmarted you," she explained. "I know that Kaguya is doing something she shouldn't be. The fact that you confronted me about my false liking of you, and then told me that Kaguya was doing nothing wrong confirms it all. She's doing something. I could ask Yui to dig deeper, conduct an official investigation, but I won't."

"Why…why not?" Salathiel realized Serafima did have the upper hand. She had just baited him out. And while she had nothing concrete, she could go back to Yui and say that Salathiel aggressively confronted her about her investigation. That would not end well, as Salathiel knew that Kaguya was doing things Yui would not approve of.

"Because I really have grown to like you," Serafima said. She leaned across the small table. Salathiel had never really gotten to know anyone outside of Chie, at least before Kaguya returned. So he had never been kissed before.

And the kiss that Serafima have him was not one that was beginner-friendly. He really had no idea what she was doing with her mouth, and the tongue felt strange at first, but then he took a liking to it.

She leaned away after an…amount of time. Salathiel lost count of the seconds after about two and a half. He was breathing hard, while Serafima smiled brightly. "I haven't liked anyone like this before, so this is rather exhilarating. And while I could blackmail you into having sex with me, I won't, because that would be lacking something, don't you think?"

Salathiel stared wide-eyed at Serafima. "Maybe I'm moving a bit too fast," she said, "But maybe Kaguya's moving a bit too fast. I won't push the issue, but when she does whatever you won't tell me about, I'll either be proud or disappointed of your loyalty."

Salathiel nodded. "Thank you for the meal, it was lovely." Serafima said as she stood up.

"Thank Chie," he said, still sitting. He was distant, trailing several seconds behind the woman.

"Certainly," Serafima said, opening the door back inside, she gave him one more glance, and then stepped in.

Salathiel was left alone, incredibly awestruck. He stared off into the forest, his eyes wide and his breathing still heavy. His heart was pounding inside his chest, while his entire body shook. It was unclear whether fear, excitement, doubt, or wonder prevailed in his mind, but it was certainly a stew of all those things and more.

The door opened. Chie stepped out. She stood beside him. "What happened, sir?" she asked, seeing his face.

"Serafima happened," Salathiel managed to choke out. Chie frowned, then raised her eyebrows in a silent question. Then she lowered them.

She did not ask. And Salathiel did not tell.

* * *

It was easy enough to figure out from the situation that Salathiel had just lost everything, yet won something he really didn't want.

Fujiwara no Mokou really did care about people besides Kaguya. But she wasn't quite sure what brought her to a certain room in the middle of the night. She knocked gently on the door, and heard a familiar voice that she disliked in the past call her in.

She of course found Reisen where she should be, lying on the bed. However, the other person was a surprise. Mokou recognized her as Eleonore, but didn't know more than her name. She nodded to Mokou, who could only say, "Good evening," in reply.

She did her best to say it in Lunarian, but fumbled the pronunciation do to her surprise. Eleonore chuckled a little. "No need to be embarrassed," she commented as Mokou's cheeks lit up red, speaking in Japanese.

"Sorry," Mokou said, "I still don't have it all down." She spoke in Japanese again.

"Good evening," she said to Reisen. The rabbit replied in kind.

Then she asked, "What brings you here?"

"I wanted…" Mokou blushed harder, then shook the embarrassment away, "I wanted to make sure you were alright. You didn't look the best when we were coming here."

"Why do you care about me?" Reisen wondered. It was an honest question.

"So what if you've killed me multiple times in brutal ways," Mokou said, "You've never truly hurt me, so what option besides respect do I have?"

Reisen shook her head, "Stop caring for me…"

"Kaguya told me some about you. Eirin did as well…" the immortal's voice trailed off. She took a deep breath. "But Reisen, I can't even get mad at you for being the person you were. It wasn't your decision to be a murderer. You were brainwashed. Blaming you for those deaths would be like…like blaming a puppet for…for like…hurting someone," she grinned a little at her own terrible analogy, then continued, "The point is that you didn't do anything wrong. So don't expect everyone you know to hate you."

"That's not really the issue at this point in time," Eleonore interjected, "It has to do more with her inability to let go of all of the memories. She sealed them away when she fled to the Earth, but they're coming back now. Medicine is doing what can be done, but it's also something she has to do on her own."

"What do you suggest?" Mokou asked, "How can she be helped?"

"I have a way," Eleonore said, "But we need some time to prepare for it. I'll get started…" she looked at the clock. It was just a bit after midnight. "Today, I suppose. But later today."

She stood up, "Can you try and sleep, Reisen? You need the rest…"

"I know that," Reisen said, "But waking up in a cold sweat multiple times doesn't really give someone much rest, does it?"

"Not really," Eleonore agreed, "But at least try. I'll go with Mokou for now. Stay here, and if you fall asleep, don't be afraid."

Reisen nodded. "Good night," Eleonore said. She walked towards the door.

"Good night, Reisen," she said, "Don't be scared. You're brave." She smiled as she turned around.

"Good night," the rabbit called after them, a grin steadily spreading onto her face. It grew into a strangely happy smile. She really couldn't understand why she was so pleased at the moment, but she was.

Eleonore waved for Mokou to follow her as she started walking. The immortal did so, traversing the halls on the path of the strange girl. "If you don't mind me asking," Mokou said, as Eleonore led Mokou out of Kaguya's quarters, "How did you lose your eyes?"

"That's something which I'd rather not share," Eleonore said.

"Alright…you didn't get new ones? From what little I know, the Moon should be able to fix that easily, right?"

"True," Eleonore said, "But it has to with how I lost them." They were on the ground floor, and moving towards the main entrance. Mokou didn't know that, she was just idly following along.

There was enough hostility in Eleonore's voice to make Mokou want to apologize for what she had said. "Sorry, I merely meant to ask, not harm." Mokou said.

"I know," Eleonore said, "It just gets monotonous giving out the same response every single time."

"Then why not just tell someone what really happened?" Eleonore didn't reply at fist. In fact, minutes passed before she did. In that time, they exited through the grand main hall of the mansion, out into the forest beyond, still majestic even in the dark of night.

Only when they were away from everyone else did Eleonore speak again, "Because it's something personal," Eleonore explained, "I know that some people have less trouble explaining things they've done, or have happened to them. But I keep this a secret for a reason."

"Will I ever find out?"

"I pray that you never do,"

"Why not?"

"Because if you do, then the situation around you will be something you will regret being a part of." Eleonore promised. The warning she gave did actually scare Mokou. The immortal nodded, then wondered.

"Should I just go back? We've not much to talk about?"

"That's not true," Eleonore said, "I'd like to know about…about you."

"Why me?" Mokou wondered.

"Serafima is currently trying to get Salathiel to divulge Kaguya's plans," Eleonore explained, "But I'm not doing the same with you. I really do just want to ask you something."

"What might that be?"

"Why can you forgive Kaguya? For what she did to you?"

"I can't," Mokou said. She didn't really understand the question.

"But you can," Eleonore said, "It's just that you can't admit it to her. I've seen you around that woman. You act like you hate her, all aloof and angry. But you can't really be feeling that, why else would you come up here?"

"Because I'm an immortal. She's an immortal. We have to stick together," Mokou explained, "I don't want to be alone in the universe."

"That's a good reason," Eleonore agreed, "So perhaps you should keep telling yourself that. Keeping doing it, for your own sake. Not for Kaguya's."

She turned around, walking back towards the mansion. "What are you doing?!" Mokou shouted, catching up to her. She stood in front of the girl, "What do you really want from me?"

"I said what I had to say," the girl explained, "I just felt that I should point that out for you. Mokou, I don't like seeing other people suffering. Kaguya does not feel the way you think she does about you. Both of you wear masks."

Eleonore walked away. Mokou was too caught up in her own thoughts to pursue her, more intent on thinking about the words she said. By the time Mokou did turn around, Eleonore was too far away for a proper pursuit. It would just be awkward at this point, continuing to badger her for information.

Mokou shut her mouth. Slowly, she started back towards the mansion.

* * *

Mokou encountered someone she didn't want to encounter when she returned. She was making her way back to her room, when a shadow came from nowhere. No, shadow is inaccurate. The more appropriate term would be absolutely invisible ghost.

Verena knocked her back against the wall, muffling her cry with a hand over her mouth and fingers clutching around her throat. Mokou instantly panicking, attempting to resist. Her body heated up as she raised her arms, but before she could react, she was on the ground.

One arm felt like it was broken, while an indent in her skull told Mokou that a heel had almost been shoved through the bone. But Verena picked the girl up, leaning her against the wall as she started healing the head wound. "Sorry," she said, "But you were afraid."

Mokou knew that she had a good reason to be afraid. She thought that she had done something to Kaguya somehow, and the maid had come to throw her into the sun. "What do you want?" Mokou whispered. Shouting would only bring the wrath of the maid.

"I wanted to apologize to you, Mokou," Verena said, "For what I did the other day. It was uncalled for, and just ended up scaring you more than necessary."

"Kaguya asked you to do this?" the immortal guessed, glaring at the maid.

"Not directly, but she made me realize some things. One is that…that if you and Kaguya are meant to be, then it is not my place to disrupt the two of you."

"Meant to be?!" Mokou shouted, "I hate her!"

"You know that is a lie. At least to an extent," Verena said. She looked into Mokou's eyes. "I find you interesting. I even like you as a person. I really don't know what you want with Kaguya, but I don't think you intend to harm her. And as long as you don't…well, I'm a dutiful maid, so it's my job to follow Kaguya's wishes."

She stood up. Mokou was almost entirely healed. The immortal stood back up as well. "I'll see you later," Verena said, walking away slowly, but silently.

Mokou was terrified, but she had the sense to just get into bed and pretend that she was not in the situation she was in. A situation where she was seriously reconsidering Kaguya.

Reconsidering what that girl meant to her. What she truly meant, not just on the surface.

* * *

"You probably shouldn't," suggested a voice, feminine. The source quickly moved through a hall, accompanying another.

"We have to, or else it will only be worse in the end," a masculine voice replied.

"She'll be angry," the rabbit insisted, frantically turning her head from facing forwards back to the man she was beside, "Very angry. We might as well just cover this up."

"And when she finds out about it? If Yui does come to her?" Salathiel replied, "Then I am more than just kicked out. She'll probably have me killed, and somehow use that to help her campaign."

"True…but," Chie realized there was no proper reply, and shut her mouth.

"So I'm going to explain things to her now, before we go ahead with anything big." Chie opened the door, and Salathiel immediately saw Kaguya sitting on the couch, in a rare moment of relaxation. Mokou was across from her, legs crossed. She looked bored. Verena was right beside Kaguya, who was leaning back with a book in her hands.

Mokou saw them coming, with Kaguya and Verena having their backs to the door. The white-haired immortal caught her fellow's eyes, and then nodded towards Salathiel and his aide.

Without turning, Kaguya called, "What? This better be important."

"Ma'am," Salathiel said, trembling as he stood a few feet behind Kaguya, "I…I have some bad news."

"What did you do?" Kaguya asked.

"Serafima," he said, "She…suspects us. She's not going to tell for now, but I get the feeling that she'll want something out of me…"

Kaguya sighed loudly. She shook her head, "What did you do?"

"I attempted to challenge her discreetly, but she saw through the ruse, and realized that my challenging of her meant that we have something to hide. As I said, she means to remain quiet to Yui for the time behind, but I don't know what she has planned."

Kaguya snapped her finger, eyes still on her book. Verena stood up immediately. Salathiel tensed, and Chie did as well. The maid walked towards them, or at least in their general direction. Salathiel's mind flashed with the possibilities, before he calmed, realizing that if the maid was going to hurt him he would be hurt already.

Instead, Verena walked right past them. Out the door. "She'll start looking around, seeing if she can dig up any plans of Serafima's from her servants. However, I did not meet either Serafima or Eleonore before now. They're new, so that means Yui must have really needed them to trust new personnel. Start trying to dig up Serafima's past. Get as much as you can, and present a full summary. Don't even focus on any secrets of hers, just give me as much as you can about her in general."

"Understood," Salathiel replied. But he felt like there was more. "Are you not…angered at me?"

"I threw you out of your element," Kaguya said, "I knew Serafima was trying to get to you, and I should have put a stop to it before. Understand, you are not very good at talking someone down, or reading a personality or emotion. But in terms of digging up secrets long-forgotten by even those whose secrets they are…well, I think that's certainly your strength."

Salathiel grinned, "Thank you, ma'am."

"My pleasure," Kaguya replied, "Get back to me by tomorrow morning. The senate votes in three days, and the presentation of the bill is tonight. You should be there, but you don't have to do anything for it, so focus."

"Understood," Salathiel repeated, before he left the room. He grinned as he looked at Chie, "See," he said, "She can be very nice."

The rabbit sighed, nodding as she realized how right he was.

* * *

The knock on the door had been the thing to attract Caohime to the entrance to her quarters. She had been expecting multiple things, but a single person standing there holding a plate of food was not one of them. The blue hair and the maid uniform told Caohime that it was Yukiko. _One of Kaguya's, what's she doing. _The woman was instantly suspicious.

"It's early still, and you've no servants of your own, so I figured I might help out," Yukiko smiled brightly. It was natural enough, and Caohime didn't question her logic.

"Did Kaguya send you?"

"Not at all," Yukiko replied, "I came on my own. In fact, Miss Houraisan doesn't really know I'm here. I told her I would be going for something this morning, but no specifics."

Caohime smiled. She held her arm out, "Then just deliver that," she said, "I'll be fine on my own."

"Do you need anything else?" Yukiko questioned, "Just to be sure."

Caohime shook her head, "I am perfectly able to handle myself, Kaguya won't like it if you're back late." And little did she know, but she had just walked into the trap Yukiko had set. Now all the maid had to do was properly initiate the conversation, and she was good to go.

"Kaguya's really not that bad," Yukiko said, "She can put on an air of…well, unlikableness, I guess that's the best word here, but she's relaly not that bad once you get to know her."

"I think I've explained my position on this enough," Caohime said, turning around and stepping away from the door. Yukiko took this move as an invitation to enter. She still had the food, so she entered and placed the plate on the dining room table, before looking back at Caohime.

"Well ma'am, I feel as if your feelings are valid…but kAguya's not that bad. Besides, you have more power than her, why even worry if she does do something to you, it's not like she can enforce it."

"But she has Yui's ear, and Yui's in charge here. And if I get kicked out of here…well, I've no real way to attain any serious kind of power, after being humiliated twice."

"Ma'am," Yukiko said, catching onto the truth of the matter, "May I ask something?"

"Go ahead," Caohime sat down at the table, beginning to eat the food before her.

"What do you want from all this? Your job, I mean. What do you wish to gain?"

"I want to see the Purists stopped. Perhaps I am motivated too much by revenge, but in the end, I have the same goal as Kaguya."

"But…but you seem to want power, ma'am," Yukiko knew she was taking a risk. But Caohime seemed to need the truth shoved in her face.

"Power?" Caohime repeated, "Power…interesting…" she was silent for a moment of introspection. "Did Kaguya send you?"

"No, I was just hoping to advocate for her…no sense in supporting insults against your master, right?"

Caohime chuckled, then she stared the maid straight in the eyes. "Did she send you to make sure that I wouldn't do anything bad? To make me trust her?"

"She wants to ensure that you will not stab her in the back," Yukiko explained, "And despite your fear and paranoia, talking about how scared you are of someone can scare that person as well. Kaguya doesn't want to rule by fear. She would prefer that you have some trust in her."

"She goes to the length of sending another to try and get me to stay?" Caohime asked.

"Yes. I was sent to ensure that you trusted Kaguya, and would not stab her in the back."

"That means she really needs me, right?"

"Of course,"

"So then she won't be stabbing me in the back any time soon, right?"

"Certainly," Yukiko said, "Well, I can't say for certain, but that can be easily assumed."

"Well then," Caohime said with a smile, "I think you can go back and tell your master that I'll be just fine. But do make sure that she disguises these kinds of operations better in the future."

Yukiko grinned in return. She turned around, walking for the door. "I shall make sure to do that."

It was the night of the vote. Only a few hours were left before the senate would once again come alive with activity. Kaguya sat with the two who had become her closest attendants in the past few days, and two others. Mokou stood behind her, leaning into the back of the couch. Verena sat to her right, while Nariari and her servant sat across from them.

There was a landline phone on the small table beside where Kaguya sat. "Ready?" she asked Nariari. The girl nodded, "We're ready when you are. We're due at the senate in…two and a half hours, plus about five minutes."

Kaguya nodded. She picked up the phone as she looked at the list of numbers in her lap. What she was doing was something that would get her in some serious trouble. It wasn't illegal, but it was rather underhanded.

"Hello there," she said to the first number she called. A member of the Purists. A senator. "I know that there's the vote in the senate in just a short while."

"Lobbying for votes now won't save you,"

Kaguya put on a threatening tone. She was awfully good at it. Good enough so that even Mokou flinched back when she replied. "Really? I'm not exactly lobbying, it's more that I can get at you in ways you can't even dream of, so I suggest you back me on this matter, or else we're going to have a serious issue. Just think of all the possibilities, then think about your position. Goodbye."

She looked at Nariari. A single button was pressed on her tablet. The senator's mobile device had been called. But Nariari had a friend on the inside, who happened to be getting paid quite a lot to do things for the girl. And that insider had discretely, over the past week since the plan was developed, uploaded a virus to one person's phone. It had spread to all the others that Kaguya would be calling tonight.

Once activated, it would erase the data of the last call made. Kaguya's words would never be heard by anyone else. The virus in just that one device was activated, and Kaguya moved onto the next. The virus left no trace of itself, thanks to the intricacies of magical programming, so the Purists couldn't even prove it was Kaguya. They could throw accusations about, but without solid evidence, they would come off as fools. And after tonight, the public wouldn't be willing to listen anyways.

Kaguya continued her routine for the next hour, going through the entire list. When it finally came time to vote, she knew exactly who would be winning.

Once again, Kaguya found herself staring out across a sea of interested faces. But this time, they were not hopeful faces, looking up at the speaker with awe and wonder. They were faces of shock. Whispers and rumors spread like rampant viruses, unchecked by common sense and reasoning.

Kaguya stood there, waiting for the commotion to die down. It took longer than she would have liked, but she had plenty of time. The first hand raised. "Ms. Houraisan, how exactly do you feel about losing this vote?"

Kaguya shrugged, "I saw this coming, to an extent. I was hoping that it wouldn't fail, and I had some expectation of it winning, but it was only one loss. The bill…would have done a lot, but I'm not going to allow a bad start to hinder me."

The next. "What is your next course of action?"

"I've yet to develop anything major, but I have a plan outlined, which will become clear over the next few days. I hate keeping everyone in the dark, but if I fear that throwing out my true intentions might endanger me more than help me. I hope you can understand." She spoke as kindly as possible.

"What is the response from the rest of the Negotiators?"

"They are disappointed as I am, perhaps a bit less. Their expectations, some of them, not all, were not that high. I only make broad generalizations, and I can understand their point of view. I sincerely hope that I can prove myself to them all in the future."

"What do you think this means for your campaign?"

"As I said, I will be moving forwards as I planned previously. Perhaps from not as good as a position, but I hope that I can get back to my previous standing. I do hope that I'm not a disappointment to all those rooting for me. I don't think I can stress enough how I shall repay the trust you all granted me."

More and more questions came, and they were all easily dispatched. Once again, Kaguya gave them the sweet chocolate they wanted, while preventing them from grabbing anything worthwhile. She wore a smile the whole time, even when she reached the last reporter.

It was the one who was usually last. Lacia said, "I have several reports, all unconfirmed, from Purist senators who state that you threatened them before the vote. Are these allegations true?"

Kaguya could have asked for a source, but that would have been pointless, as Lacia had every right to refuse. The allegation gave a new tone to the room, with a gasp passing through the other reporters as Lacia and Kaguya locked eyes.

"That allegation is incorrect," Kaguya said, "I have little idea who started this. Perhaps you, or the Purists told you to try and hammer a nail in the coffin? But unless you can provide me with empirical evidence of this crime, then unfortunately I think you are acting on false information. I would say the real question here is who created this false information?"

Lacia shook her head, "I think that what has happened here is rather interesting. You created this bill knowing that the senate requires two thirds majority to pass. With the Purists having more than two thirds majority, you should have known better, perhaps slowed down and spent some time establishing a wider power base. But instead you went right ahead with this bill, made entirely to appeal to the masses, as well as the House. That way, it went to the senate. Once there, you knew the senate would vote against it, but just to be sure, you threatened anyone who might be on the fence. They'd hate such dishonorable methods, and go against you. However, everyone else on the Moon wanted the bill to pass. The bill failing would show the Purist's stubbornness, and unwillingness to listen to common pinion. That would lead to a massive public outcry, correct? Therefore, I propose that this was nothing more than a setup, to ensure that the bill failed, so that the public would give you more support."

Kaguya did her best to not burst out in shock. She cocked her head to the side, eyebrows raised. "Interesting theory, something that I find very, very interesting. Who told you to say that?"

"No one, I think you carried that all out. Stop dodging my challenge. Did you, or did you not plan all of these events?"

"I did not," Kaguya shook her head, "I would not stoop so low so as to commit crimes to get my way. I would appreciate it if you stopped decrying the work that many of my peers have spent a lot of time on." She took a deep breath, "This meeting is over," She focused on Lacia, "And if you know better, you will think before you rant like a woman possessed next time."

In the ruckus that ensued after the ending of the meeting, Kaguya found Nariari off to the side of the stage. "Lacia Ailyodus, correct?" she asked. The girl nodded. "Find me where she lives, clear my schedule for the night."

The girl stormed off, Mokou and Verena turning and following her. Nariari shuddered a little, seeing the murderous intent in Kaguya's eyes. She prayed for Lacia Ailyodus, hoping that Kaguya was truthful when she said she wouldn't stoop so low.

* * *

The door opened. A darkened room was beyond the entryway. Pitch black, in fact, only illuminated by the dim light coming in from outside. It was a long, narrow room, about ten feet wide. But twenty feet in length. Houses were built narrow, but long and tall, in the thick of the capital.

The small population size meant that everyone could have a rather spacious and furnished house. Even the poorest Lunarians lived like kings compared to those on the Earth.

Lacia was not that poor. But she was perfectly fine with her four story house. The kitchen and dining room on the bottom floor, a living room on the second, a room dedicated to work on the third, and a bedroom on the fourth. She flipped the lights on, tired from the long night she'd experienced.

But she was ready to make some big money. Her theory wasn't really believed by anyone else, so if she threw it out there, then she would be the first. She was moved forwards by the thought of a possible deal with the Purists. She knew they were handing out a lot of money, indiscreetly of course, to those who supported them.

She had taken one of the transport shuttles back from the Kagome Mansion, and then taken the subway back to her area of the city. It had taken about half an hour total, but she'd stuck around at the Kagome Mansion for an hour before leaving, talking with other reporters, and trying to dig up anything else from the officials there.

She wore a small hat on her head, over her shoulder-length bright blue hair. She wore a black jacket over a similarly colored dress shirt, while pants and some rather formal shoes covered the lower part of her body. Her bag was tossed aside to the table in the dining room.

Opening her refrigerator, she picked out an orange. Already peeling it as she closed the door, her eyes went to the clock. That device said it was about ten-thirty at night.

Shrugging to herself, she decided that it would be a good idea to start working now. Digging her fingers into the orange, the first slice was popped into her mouth as she considered something. _I did probably piss Kaguya off. Heck, I already have. Hopefully she's not going to do anything about it. _

She chuckled. Even if the woman did, Lacia's apartment was laced with security cameras and monitoring devices. And if they were shut down, it would be easy to trace who did it, or it would at least be clear that they were shut down.

The door resounded with a brief knock. Lacia sighed, wondering who it could be at this time of night. She put her orange down on the table, heading for the door. Her hand closed around the knob, before she paused. Looking through the peephole, she saw a strangely familiar face.

_By the gods! How?! _Kaguya Houraisan stood outside her house, smiling. Lacia opened the door, words on her mouth. The woman outside wore a neat black suit, with the collar opening properly to expose a black tie. A short fur-trimmed coat went down to her waist, black as well with the fur being white. The fur was of course synthetic, but that was not what Lacia thought of as she saw Kaguya.

She was rather scared. And as she opened the door, she saw the woman was alone. And something was in her hand.

There was a thud. Lacia's body lay on the floor, eyes wide with shock. Formal shoes resounded on the hard wood floor as Kaguya stepped inside.

Removing her coat and hanging it on the hooks beside the door, she looked down at the body beside her. Grinning strangely, she muttered, "Time to clean up this mess…"

* * *

Lacia awoke. She was in her bedroom. Right beside her bed, in fact. She could not exactly move, thanks to the shimenawa binding her wrists, upper arms, upper legs, shins, and ankles. Whoever did this had been thorough. Several strips of tape, clearly woven from fibers similar to shimenawa, bound her mouth shut. Such tape was not commercially sold, but she knew that it was made by people who needed it for things like this.

She was still fully dressed, which told that this wasn't anything of _that _sort. But she then realized that she could never really be certain, given that the person who done all this to her was Kaguya Houraisan. That woman was now sitting a couple feet from Lacia, leaning back in a chair of her own.

"Now before anything else," Kaguya began, still dressed in her suit. But holding a large knife in her right hand, "I'd like to point out that I will not show up on anything in your house. They will have been active the entire time, but my presence will have been erased. I suppose I'll give up my trick." Kaguya leaned in, "You see, the actual recording of my presence will be gone, but we've pasted together a series of recordings from the records on your devices, and an artificial few hours will be created to fill in the gap, get it?"

Lacia nodded. That wasn't good. Kaguya was going to get away with murder at this point. "So let's make this quick," the immortal suggested.

Lacia nodded. "You have been causing far too much trouble for me recently. Every single time, you have some troublesome question. Frankly, I'm tired of it. I hate you reporter types, sapping off of the popularity of others, getting rich off of someone else's fame and glory. Which is perhaps why I'm here in the middle of the night, and didn't just ask to speak with you normally."

She held up the knife she held. It was large, and Lacia was honestly afraid. She felt tears welling in her eyes. She had been prepared to come under some kind of attack…but not like this. The best part was that an entire case of knives had been unrolled on the bed beside Kaguya, within easy reach. Ranging from tiny scalpels to the size she now held.

Lacia cried out, her muffles silenced by the tape. Embedded into her thigh was now the knife. Blood spilled from the wound, and Lacia squirmed and cried as the pain coursed through her. "Pathetic…" Kaguya said with a shake of her head.

Her hand, gloved in black, gripped onto Lacia's chin. Steadying the girl's head, and forcing her to face Kaguya, the woman spoke. "Now as much as I would honestly love to spend the rest of the night slowly torturing you, healing up the damage, and then creating a case revolving around the unfortunate suicide of Lacia Ailyodus, perhaps pressured by other reporters who hated her radical theories, I won't. First, I'll ask you a question. Think carefully, whether or not you die naturally or at my hand depends on your answer."

"Do you want to work for me?" Kaguya's eyebrows were raised high as she leaned back. Her hands were clasped just under her chin, supporting her head.

Lacia thought long and hard. She could just die right now. Kaguya would probably escape retribution. She could go work for Kaguya. She had a chance. She nodded, hesitantly. "I will pay a very large sum, and you will get to know just about everything. I can't let you release everything, but I'm willing to work with someone good at public relations. In addition, the position gets you access to a whole lot of government secrets."

Lacia nodded a bit more thoughtfully this time. Kaguya smiled. Her right hand moved. Lacia's eyes went wide, stretching to the limit as she saw where it went. Fingers clasping around one of the smaller blades. "But as I said, I don't trust people like you," Kaguya explained, "You go where the money is. Where the biggest story is. So I get the feeling I might be betrayed in the future." She grinned as she extended her arm outwards.

Running the blade along Lacia's face, barely touching the skin, she asked, "Are you going to betray me, Lacia?"

The girl shook her head. The blade bit into her flesh, leaving a long cut running down her one cheek. The larger knife was still in her leg. "That's a lie," Kaguya said, "Be honest. Will you betray me? Even in the slightest manner? Let's say that someone comes to you with a better story, will you follow it?"

Lacia nodded. Kaguya pulled her arm away. "Good, all I want is the truth." Then she shot back inwards. Her eyes bore into Lacia's her mouth close enough for the reporter to feel her breath. "And when you do betray me, even in the slightest way, because I _know _it will happen, you will know a level of suffering that few people have or ever will experienced, do you understand?"

Lacia nodded. "Good." Kaguya yanked the large knife out of Lacia's leg. The girl grunted in pain, but Kaguya then cut all of the bindings. Quickly taking a cloth and wiping the blade off, she put everything back in the case and picked it up, walking away. "You'll be contacted in the morning by my associate. Pack your bags, you'll be coming out to the Kagome Mansion. Be on time."

She was quickly gone. Less than thirty seconds passed, and the door opened and closed. Lacia stripped the tape away, her breaths short and frantic. She leaned back in the chair, looking up at the ceiling.

Her face spread into a smile. She had been approached by many companies, even a few government officials, before. But no one had ever broken into her house and promised to murder her if she didn't do what they wanted.

_That just means she really wants me. _Lacia thought of all the fun she was going to have.

* * *

Salathiel stood in front of the monitor, a small remote in his hand. Kaguya sat before him, leaning back against the couch. Mokou had retired to bed for the night. The morning, actually. It was the morning after the vote, with Kaguya just having returned from her meeting with Lacia.

Verena, however, was wide awake. That fact honestly scared Salathiel in a way, but Verena's achievements in other areas were far scarier. The man stood before a screen, with the promised presentation on Yui's assistants ready to be shown. Kaguya nodded, and Salathiel hit a button.

The first slide appearing, revealing a series of photos tracking the growth of Serafima. "Serafima Apollinariya," Salathiel began, "Born AC 1146 to a middle class family in the city of Wissiene. Bounced around various professions for about one thousand years. I haven't been able to find anything solid, but some sources suggest that she may have been…well, an escort. A rather high-class one, as well. Chie is trying to dig up some kind of better source, but it's hinted that she accompanied many a noble."

Kaguya leaned in as her eyes went wide. "She looked a bit different back then," she remarked, looking at the pictures of the girl in her younger years. "But you're right, I…I barely remember seeing her with a few people I know." The girl nodded, "I'm assuming that's where she got into politics?"

"Yes," Salathiel confirmed. "She became friends with Yui Kagome about 2585, probably through the 'profession' Serafima had back then. Serafima would then attend law school, before she disappeared for some time in about 2597. Digging into Yui's financial records shows that some money was disappearing mysteriously every month. I'm betting that was going to Serafima, who, if my sources are correct, was perhaps providing direct information about the activities of a certain princess."

Salathiel was going to say the name, but Kaguya interrupted him. "Me," she said. He nodded.

"Yui was, for whatever reason, keeping tabs on you. I can't say for certain why, but I'm sure it had to do with your activities around that time, which I imagine had to do with…well…" Salathiel trailed off, and Kaguya picked up.

"About 2598, I started getting heavily involved with Eirin, who was already under suspicion from much of the government. We were already incredibly close friends, but that year was when we started to work together on…a project of ours."

"I'm assuming the Hourai Elixir?"

Kaguya nodded. There was more to the tale, but he didn't need to know that. Believing the common story was just fine. "I vaguely remember seeing some maid around Eirin's place that resembled Serafima."

"And _Eirin Yagokoro _didn't notice?" Salathiel asked.

"She probably did notice the girl. Kicking her out, and the other moles planted by others, would only show that we had illegal things to hide. We didn't, at least nothing that the maids could see, and our carefulness made sure that we were not dealt with for as long as we were."

"So Yui was spying on you?"

"Of course. I had suddenly shut myself away, and started dedicating all my resources to support someone who had very quickly lost support at court. I also told no one anything, so Yui would have wondered. Go on."

"Well, after that, around 2622, Serafima would begin officially working with Yui. She didn't make many appearances in public, which fits up with her current personality. She worked as an information gatherer, playing a role similar to the one I play for you, except she obtained the information through…other methods."

Kaguya nodded in understanding. "So she knows how to play somebody. I should have done my research, or had you do this, earlier, before any of this went down. But there's not much that we can do now. Is there anything against her?"

"Well, she was an escort," Salathiel said, then shrugged, "But that's not a crime, and it's not even close to being publically shameful. Especially because of the people she did it with. We're looking at a lot of reputable, respected individuals known for their intelligence. I bet it was an honor for her to know them."

"So we've nothing on her," Kaguya said.

"Very little. Nariari is going to do her best to dig up more, but she's otherwise occupied with a lot of things."

"Once Lacia gets here, I'll send her out into the field. You're wonderful at doing research, but even Nariari is high profile and noticeable. Lacia's just a reporter. It's expected of her to do this digging. More expendable as well, I can't risk your reputation on this. If we're lucky, we can peg Serafima with something, and then get her to back down."

"Understood," Salathiel said, "Now for Eleonore?"

"You did her as well," Kaguya smiled, "Good boy, working hard."

"Well, there wasn't much to find about her." Salathiel explained, he clicked to the next slide. It was merely a single image of Eleonore in her current state. "Chie got a sample of her DNA off of a glass, and it's estimated that she is somewhere from two thousand five hundred to three thousand years old. No idea when she was born, where she was born, who she was born to. There's not even anything on the past few thousand years of her life."

"As far as I know, she hails from the Jovian colonies, but which one I can't say for certain. Records say that Yui left for the Jovian moons in AC 2802, and came back with Eleonore. She is a certified citizen, and has all the proper identification, but she's stated to be much younger than she actually is, so we can assume that all the information is faked."

"Well, we don't need to get anything to hold over her head," Kaguya said, "So that's good. However, I would advise you to keep looking for anything useful with her. I don't like not knowing anything about somebody. Chances are Eleonore is incredibly important to Yui if she is hiding everything about her."

"I understand," Salathiel said, "Anything more?"

Kaguya brightly smiled, "Good job,"

* * *

The ceiling was not something that anyone really loved staring at. Or at least that was what Sanada thought. He was currently enjoying the view. He had just awoken, and didn't feel like getting up to do anything on this day. Mainly because Meriille was outside the room, and she would most likely challenge him about something.

She had been getting quite inquisitive in the past few days, and things had not gotten better now that Kaguya's bill had failed, and the tensions were rising as the populace turned staunchly against the Purists and any who supported them.

Sanada Houraisan was an exception. Not only was he the son of Kaguya, but he was also a man famed for many exploits. He was a bit annoyed about the fact that the only war he had fought in was one against youkai from the Earth. It was not that he wanted to kill Lunarians. The real annoying factor was that the Moon had little reason to praise him for his combat prowess when he had only displayed in practice matches.

Sure, both Watatsuki sisters had fallen before him, but he despised the attention things like that received. Especially since he was in bed with Meriille. Not literally, more metaphorically. He was going to be in bed with her, when they got married, but the two had already spent many a night together.

Sanada wasn't going to deny that he liked the girl. He loved everything about her, save for the fact that her views entirely went against his. _And she has some plan up her sleeve. _

Eventually, he did stand up from his bed. After getting dressed, he took a deep breath and exited his room. He was back in his mansion on the Moon itself. The space station had been due to LSDF duties, but he really did prefer space to the ground. Meriille did not, so he had humored her.

She was sitting on the couch in the living room. They were in Sanada's quarters. _Ours, _the word was still alien to Sanada, the engagement having been only announced to him a month ago. He saw the woman look up at him, smiling brightly.

"Something wrong, you were just sitting there for a while?"

"Just rather tired," Sanada explained, "Not entirely sure why." He smiled at Meriille as he approached her.

He stood beside her, the girl looking up at him, in silence for a minute. Then he asked, "Why did you tell Chirain about Mokou?"

"I didn't," Meriille replied, putting the book she was reading down, "In fact, I believe that whole shooting was carried out by Kaguya for the sake of making us look bad."

"I see," Sanada said.

"Why did you ask?" Meriille asked, "You seem concerned about Kaguya…"

"She might be on the other side, but she's still my mother," the man replied, "And as much as I hate to say this, I don't want to see her get hurt."

"She won't be killed," Meriille promised.

"She _can't _be killed," Sanada countered, "So your words just make me feel a bit scared."

"Why are you scared? If she loses, then we all get what we want, right?" Meriille raised her eyebrows. Crossing her arms, she stood up, eyes locking with Sanada's.

"She may lose, btu what will happen to her then?"

"She'll hopefully just be imprisoned. I don't want her to suffer some terrible fate, but it's not like she can go back to the Earth once we're done with it."

Sanada nodded. "You're alright with committing genocide?"

"Her words are getting to you, aren't they?" Meriille asked.

"She had some truth to what she said. Perhaps forgetting about it is what will bring us down." Meriille chuckled behind him.

"I don't think my father would like hearing those words."

"If you really cared about your father, you would have told him all about Mokou before she was introduced by Kaguya," Sanada countered, "So I doubt that you're going to give me up."

"Maybe you're right," Meriille said. He had his back to her. She came up from behind, arms wrapping around his waist. "Maybe I'm the traitorous rebel here." She spoke lowly, but in a sarcastic manner.

It was a strange mix of tones that confused Sanada, before he realized that was the intention. "I should be going," he said.

"What do you have to do today?" his fiancé asked.

"I just want to practice. I'm tired, and I can't think straight. Probably why I'm actually considering Kaguya's words," he chuckled a little, "I'll go and practice a bit. Clear my head."

Meriille held him tighter, "But I don't want to be alone…"

"Then come watch…oh no…" He shook his head, "Chirain would kill me if I accidentally killed you."

"Nope," Meriille insisted, walking backwards, trying to drag him along, "Let's go."

There was such a thing as full contact sparring. It was a great way to help one practice, and simulate a real fight, with no intention of killing the other. It was fine for youkai and humans. Lunarians as well, as even the stronger types of all three races would be hard pressed to accidentally kill another of a similar level of power.

But Sanada Houraisan was considered one of the greatest fighters since Verena Weiss. Meriille Seseliasis, on the other hand, was something of a child compared to Sanada

They now stood in the large arena that served as Sanada's practice room. It was a rectangular room, which could open in the back to reveal the outside. The ceiling was high, and the walls, ceiling, and floor were all heavily armored.

Sanada stood dressed in his normal blue greatcoat, a spear in his right hand. The long spear was longer than he was tall. Meriille stood at the opposite end of the hundred foot long space, wearing her normal white dress, holding a rapier in her left hand. The blade was about three a half feet long.

Hefting the blade, Meriille pointed it at Sanada. "Come on!" she cried. Internally, she smirked. It was to be a perfect test of her man's loyalties. A blue blur came towards.

Meriille kicked back off of the wall, twirling in the air to assist her flip as she landed on her feet. Sanada was already moving before she could fully stabilize herself, and she found a spreading cut on her cheek as she dodged back. She raised her sword half a dozen times to deflect half a dozen attacks, unfolding in half a second.

Even as she leapt back, Sanada slipped in under her guard. A cut was traced across her stomach. Not every deep, easily healed by a Lunarian's natural properties.

Sanada wasn't holding back. Meriille was staggering from the blow she received. He stopped right in front of her. His spear was right off to her side. A few centimeters to the left, and the weapon would have skewered her.

Meriille's mouth went wide as Sanada stood in front of her. "Really?" she asked, "That's it?" He turned around, pointing towards the door.

"Please leave me," he ordered, "I know you're mad that I won't continue. But I don't want to harm you."

Meriille had done this multiple times in the past. Each and every time, something like this had happened. She was nowhere near his level. And he refused to continue, knowing that he would harm her to the point of no return if things continued. _He's not loyal to my wishes. No, he's more than that. He is able to see past merely what I want, and understand what is best for me in the end. _

Meriille smiled as she walked away. _He's under my thumb…_she thought. And while Sanada was left alone, a bit annoyed and a bit ashamed, he came to realize something about his bride-to-be.

* * *

Looking out high above the Lunar Capital were many various skyscrapers, some reaching kilometers into the sky. The massive structures were of course the dwellings of the richer and nobler of the Lunarian people. The thing is, that those two terms were not equivalent in meaning to terms like good, kind, generous, or adjectives of that sort.

And while Nariari did not ever describe herself, unless she was lying, through any of those positive adjectives, she did like people more if they could be described by them. And this reason was why she was having some trouble speaking with the person she was currently engaged in a conversation with.

It was not really that she found him less than enticing to look at, nor his position, nor the fact that he was staunchly against her even being there. Reclere Decryia was a man who fell into the category of being one of the richer of the Lunarian people.

That meant he liked money. And earning money. _You see, _Nariari thought to herself as she sat across from him, _having money isn't really bad. It's the whole thing about loving money that's the problem. _She did her best to put on a calm and pleasant demeanor, which was quite the opposite of what the man was doing.

She was alone with him in his office, perched near the top of one of those tall towers, save for her servant, standing a few feet behind her. Reclere was a man heavily involved in multiple different industries. Shipbuilding was how he made his fortune a few hundred years ago, despite him being over three thousand years old.

_Really nothing to be ashamed of. We have thousands of years to make a mark. _Of course, that fortune had coincided with the expanded interest in colonization, so it made sense. In recent years, as in the past hundred, Reclere had expanded his business to encompass the military sector as well, and was now making everything from battleships to plasma knives.

Due to his massive fortune, the man was also working his fingers very slowly around the rest of the Moon's economy. Nariari was not at all here to stop that process. She was not even going to try to slow that down. Sure, Reclere was taking very large paychecks, and receiving clandestine support, from the Purists in the government, but there was not much Nariari could do against him.

Really, what she wanted was financial backing. Not for the Negotiators. A large fortune had already been accumulated by Yui. Even losing the monetary powerhouse that was Alzazir did not have that much of a negative effect. In fact, the girl was preparing for when Yui was no longer supporting Kaguya's cause.

Which, thanks to Salathiel's failure, would be occurring in the next week or so. And when that happened, some source of money for operations would be required. So Nariari had sought out this wealthy man, hoping to get him to lend her some assistance.

"So what exactly do you want from me?" Reclere asked, "Please, make this as quick as possible."

"I came here to ask something from you. Something that another group has already asked for. Something that I'm sure a lot of people ask for. Yet you don't often give it…"

"Spit it out," Reclere was dressed in a bright white suit with a black tie. His dark hair was short, but the locks curled at the ends.

"I need financial support," Nariari said, "The only catch is that you can't know what you're going to be backing."

"Then why even come?" Reclere seemed a bit disappointed.

Nariari snapped her fingers. Karisso removed something from the bag he carried. It was Nariari's purse, but he was usually the one carrying it. He handed it to the girl, who handed it to Reclere. "An old flame of yours, I understand," she said, "She'd prefer that you be giving us assistance."

"Celia?" the man muttered. Her glared at Nariari, "She's…she's already working for them!"

"Not anymore," the little girl shook her head with a mischievous smile, "I talked some sense into her. You can read that whole letter, but the summary is that she thinks you ought to back me up. Besides, you aren't even married, maybe you two could…"

"Quiet," Reclere ordered. Nariari went silent. He opened the letter. Reading over the first few lines, he nodded. "Well, Celia's always been a much smarter woman than I, so I think we have a deal. Just tell me where I need to send it, and promise me that the Purists won't have me killed."

"I think you could fight a war against them on your own," Nariari said, "So don't worry."

He kept reading the letter as Nariari set everything up. "You're from Kaguya's, I assume?"

"First to figure that out," Nariari said, "Or did Celia?"

"She suggested it as a possibility, didn't read the letter?"

"Of course not," Nariari shook her head, "That would be poor form."

"What is she doing that requires such a large amount of money?"

"That's a secret,"

"The Purists were more forthcoming."

"That's a lie."

"True, but worth a shot."

"Can't blame you."

Nariari looked up, "Is everything in order?"

Reclere nodded, "Well, as long as you aren't starting any kind of war, I'm fine. Just stop the Purists from breathing down my neck."

"You hate them? You don't want a war? Last time I checked, you were the one making all the weapons for them."

"I like making money," Reclere explained, "And I will do that though many various methods. But I don't want a real war. If I had my way, I would find some other way to get as rich as I am. Call it a character flaw, maybe a serious one, that I have such a lust for wealth. But I don't want to be someone else's dog, and I don't want people to die."

"A monster with honor. A villain with a heart of gold," Nariari commented, "Cliché much?"

"Oh sorry," Reclere said, rather sarcastically. He looked at his schedule, "Sorry, but you need to leave."

"I understand" Nariari smiled. "We have our deal, so I see now issue with leaving." She stood, and Karisso opened the door. "Talk to you later."

* * *

The day wasn't particularly hot or cold. The temperature had reached a pleasant middle ground. The sun did shine down, but intermittent clouds and a strong breeze ended up balancing everything out. Sumireko wasn't complaining as she strolled along the side of the road.

She wasn't far from home now, but she was certainly taking her time. Not stopping constantly, just moving slower than she usually would. If she had less things to think about, she'd be in the comfort of her home at that point. Yet she was more concerned about the fact that she'd made a deal with a youkai with questionable motives and immense power than about doing her homework.

Sumireko sighed, shaking her head. A particularly strong gust of wind blew in from the side. The girl jumped, her hat flying form her head. She leapt out for it, grabbing before it flew away. Her muscles locked up as she looked forwards.

Someone strange was staring at her from behind a tree. The left side of what looked to be a woman peeked out. What surprised Sumireko was the fact that a white wing extended from her side. Sumireko could only see half her face, but at least half the mouth was spread in a grin.

"W-Who are you?" Sumireko asked shakily, backing away.

"Why do you ask?" The woman replied, stepping out entirely from behind the tree. Sumireko looked over her grey clothing, her silver hair, eyes mostly focusing on that wing of hers. There was only one.

Sumireko's hand went to her pocket, reaching for the phone Yukari gave her. "Answer me," she demanded frantically.

"What if the world liked turning around everything you say?" the stranger wondered. It took a few seconds for Sumireko to understand it was not rhetorical.

"What are you talking about?!" the girl shouted.

"Would you want to talk?" the stranger asked, looking absent-mindedly to the side. "Perhaps some other form of communication?" She reached into her pocket, pulling out a small notebook and a pen.

Sumireko stiffened, keeping her distance, but not running. The woman's Japanese was strange. She was no native speaker, but her accent wasn't one Sumireko could place. She started writing on the notebook, the first page clean.

It only took a few seconds for her to write out the sentence, before showing it to Sumireko. Despite not understanding what the woman meant by her words, Sumireko read. The girl swallowed as she did so. _Why Ms. Yakumo? _Is what the stranger wrote.

Her handwriting was better than Sumireko's had ever been, probably the best the girl had seen. "What do you mean?" Sumireko asked. She was given a look that told her to stop faking ignorance.

"Are you a Lunarian?" Sumireko blurted out. She received a nod. That was when she turned around and started to leave, her hand pulling out the phone. Then she stopped, "How are you here?" She looked over her shoulder. Sumireko knew that Yukari ought to be looking out for Lunarians, especially given the present situation with them.

"Can we talk?" the stranger asked. Sumireko checked the time on her watch. She had plenty of it.

She sighed, "Fine." The young girl strode back over, looking around. She wondered why there wasn't anyone else on the street. She was confronted with more writing when she looked back.

_I only ask for you to consider my offer. Just hear me out, don't accept or deny it now. I ask you to understand that Yukari Yakumo and her actions are currently one of two things threatening to upset the balance between Earth and Moon. You have agreed to assist Ms. Yakumo, and while I don't blame you, I ask you to consider the bigger picture._

"Which is?" Sumireko asked. Another couple minutes passed as the stranger quickly wrote out her reply.

_Kaguya should successfully solve the problem on the Moon. However, Ms. Yakumo will almost certainly intervene at some point, to attempt to assert control over the Moon. We cannot allow this to occur. I ask you to play double agent, working for me while pretending to work for Ms. Yakumo. I can still get you your friend, if you want her that bad, but assisting me will result in ultimately fewer deaths._

Sumireko nodded. "I'll consider it," she said, just wanting to get away from this woman.

"When should I expect a reply?" the woman asked.

"I don't know," Sumireko stormed away, not even bothering to ask her name. She picked up her speed as she went, just wanting to get away.

* * *

**Alright, I finished the other fic I was writing, for the time being at least, which gives me plenty of time to work on this. Updates should be faster now. **


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